INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what projects money was spent under his Department's bilateral programme in each of the last five years in each country where expenditure under the programme was under £50,000 in 2007-08; how much was spent on each project; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: Detailed information on individual DFID projects is publicly available through two international portals: AiDA—the Development Gateway and the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Each portal can be accessed through the following links:
	 AiDA:
	http://aida.developmentgateway.org/index.do
	 DAC:
	http://stats.oecd.org/qwids/
	Further information on DFID funded projects, including spend, will be made available on the DFID website later this year.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the procurement of antiretroviral drugs through the Global Fund and other mechanisms is timely and efficient.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) is aware that some countries supported by the Global Fund are at risk from health facility stores temporarily running out of essential antiretroviral drugs (stock-outs). DFID officials have spoken to the fund's Secretariat about this, including recently at the Global Fund's Executive Board (5-6 May 2009). Formally, the UK supported a resolution made at the board meeting which obliges the fund's Secretariat to address this issue urgently, to report on whether its existing procedures are adequate, and to propose solutions which would minimise the risks of disruptions to treatment both in the short term and on an ongoing basis. In developing countries such as Zimbabwe, DFID is also assisting, where possible, in the provision of drugs while problems in Global Fund supported programmes are being addressed.

Developing Countries: Young People

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what account his Department's forthcoming White Paper will take of  (a) the number of children and young people in developing countries and  (b) the relationships between the needs of children and young people in developing countries and (i) women, (ii) families, (iii) disabled people and (iv) others in those countries.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) has recently commissioned analysis of the impacts of the current economic crisis including food, fuel and financial aspects on women, families, young people and the disabled in developing countries. This analysis will help inform the narrative in the forthcoming White Paper.
	DFID recognises that children and young people are the majority population in many developing countries and that they have a vital role in helping achieve the millennium development goals. The White Paper will take these issues fully into account.

Overseas Aid: Nutrition

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what spending priority areas his Department's Nutritional Task Team have established for 2009-10.

Michael Foster: As a result of the findings of the Nutrition Task Team, the Department for International Development (DFID) is strengthening its capacity and setting up permanent capacity, in London and in selected country offices, to help respond to the ongoing global nutrition crisis. We will be publishing a new nutrition strategy in the autumn. Key priorities will be to: build international support, co-ordination and coherence; scale-up programmes in selected partner countries; strengthen DFID capacity to increase and track nutrition impact and spend; and build evidence and demonstrate results.

Overseas Aid: Nutrition

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what budget his Department has allocated to its nutrition task team for 2009-10.

Ivan Lewis: The nutrition team for 2009-10 is being put in place now. We expect two full-time staff to start work shortly in London, supported by staff from country offices allocating a proportion of their time. We will ensure that the team has the resources it needs to develop a sound strategy. This will help provide the basis for making further resource allocation decisions.

Overseas Aid: Nutrition

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries his Department's nutrition task team has worked with in 2009 to date.

Ivan Lewis: We will work with countries where the burden of malnutrition is most severe, and where the Department for International Development (DFID) has comparative advantage within a division of labour with other donors. Initial work is under way in India and Bangladesh where we have focal advisers in place and leading nutrition agendas.

Overseas Aid: Nutrition

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which contribution his Department's nutrition task team is making to the achievement of Goal 1 of the Millennium Development Goals.

Ivan Lewis: Nutrition is a foundation for the attainment of all the Millennium Development Goals. We recognise that progress towards the MDG 1c indicator to halve the rates of under-nutrition in children under five years by 2015 remains severely off-track. Our work on nutrition is directly aimed to help focus the Department's efforts on MDG 1c.

Overseas Aid: Water

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to promote the Global Framework for Action for water and sanitation to his counterparts in countries with bilateral agencies.

Michael Foster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) on 12 May 2009,  Official Report, column 661W, which highlights our collaboration with the Netherlands. I can confirm that I will be shortly contacting other European Union bilateral agencies to encourage their support for the Global Framework for Action.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to assist refugees in the  (a) northern and  (b) eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 21 May 2009,  Official Report, column 86WS, regarding the internally displaced in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.

NORTHERN IRELAND

AccessNI

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment has been undertaken of the performance of AccessNI; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Since mid-December 2008 AccessNI has continued to meet its service standards. Latest information on service standards is published each week on the "latest news" section of its website:
	www.accessni.gov.uk

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the salary of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is.

Paul Goggins: The salary of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is £183,954 per year with effect from 1 September 2008.

Robbery: Firearms

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cash in transit robberies have taken place in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many of these involved  (a) firearms and  (b) imitation firearms.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Allowances

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House whether it is the Government's policy that hon. Members who are married to or in a civil partnership with a member of the House of Lords will be eligible for a second home allowance.

Chris Bryant: By tradition the two Houses of Parliament have made separate financial provisions for their Members. The Government believe that all MPs' and peers' pay, allowances and pensions should be set, administered, monitored and audited by an independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the House of Commons Commission will place in the Library a copy of internal notes made at its meetings between 3 July 2008 and 1 April 2009 relating to hon. Members' expenses and the resolutions of the House of 3 July 2008.

Nick Harvey: Members' expenses are a matter for the Members Estimate Committee.

SCOTLAND

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Ann McKechin: Euro Ministers are responsible for euro preparations in their Department and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advertising: Internet

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of the implications for the revenue of the British media market of Google's share of the online advertising market; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Government recognise the increasing importance of online advertising revenues to the UK's media markets. It represents the fastest growing advertising medium in the UK. While the impact of this growth is principally a matter for the market, the Government, through their Creative Economy Strategy, continues to encourage the development of a strong and competitive advertising sector. The strategy, published in 2008, sets out a range of initiatives, such as encouraging advertisers to recruit from a more diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines, that will help ensure the continued success of the UK's advertising industries as a whole.

Arts: Apprentices

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has allocated for the creation of 5,000 apprenticeships in the creative industries as outlined in Creative Britain: new talents for the new economy.

Andy Burnham: My Department is working with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to influence the funding of over £1 billion allocated to delivering apprenticeships across England. Since the publication of Creative Britain, my Department has also worked with the sector skills councils and the Arts Council England to increase apprenticeships across the creative industries with over 150 employers signed up to offer places. My Department is currently developing a programme of activity to help support the creation of apprenticeships for the creative industries.

Employment Tribunals Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many actions under employment law have been brought against the  (a) Arts Council England,  (b) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council,  (c) Sport England,  (d) UK Sport,  (e) English Heritage,  (f) Heritage Lottery Fund and  (g) Big Lottery Fund in each of the last three years; how many such actions were brought under each category of action; and how many were contested at an employment tribunal.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Each of our non-departmental public bodies has their own HR function and have their own procedures and processes in place. The Department does not collect information on actions brought against our non-departmental public bodies.

Olympic Games 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in  (a) his Department, excluding the Government Olympic Executive,  (b) UK Sport and  (c) Sport England are working on matters connected with the London 2012 Olympics.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics have an impact on the work of a great many staff working in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and our non-departmental public bodies (NDPB's). We do not collect data centrally on this.

Pay Television

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects Ofcom to publish the remedies determined as a result of its investigation into the pay television market.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The pay-TV market investigation is the responsibility of Ofcom. Ofcom expect to make a statement on their progress and current findings by the end of June.

Pay Television: Sports

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on choice of sports pay television providers.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 1 June 2009
	I have not received any recent representations on this issue.

Royal Parks Agency: Security

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many breaches of security have been reported at the Royal Parks Agency in the last five years; and what procedures the agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data.

Barbara Follett: The following information has been provided by the Royal Parks Agency.
	There have been eight known breaches of security within the past five years, none involving the loss of personal data.
	Any loss of personal data would be handled in accordance with Cabinet Office procedures.

TRANSPORT

Bourbon Dolphin

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the report of the capsize of the tug, Bourbon Dolphin.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Bourbon Dolphin was a Norwegian anchor-handling vessel operating outside UK territorial waters. Consequently, no investigation of the incident was undertaken by the United Kingdom. However, I understand that a report has been produced by the Norwegian authorities.

c2c

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with c2c on the timetable for negotiations on its train operator franchise; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The current c2c franchise expires in May 2011. No recent discussions have taken place with c2c on the timetable for re-letting the franchise.

c2c

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) punctuality and  (b) adequacy of the capacity of the c2c Fenchurch Street service; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Punctuality on the network as a whole has risen by 10 per cent. in the last five years to 90.6 per cent. 95.4 per cent of c2c trains, which serve Fenchurch Street station, were punctual in the last year (within five minutes).
	The Department for Transport measures c2c's capacity for peak arrivals into Fenchurch Street (7 am to 9.59 am) and peak departures from Fenchurch Street (4 pm to 6.59 pm) against their approved train plan.

Departmental Air Travel

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on  (a) economy,  (b) business and  (c) first class flights in each financial year since 2001.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport could provide this information only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether costs arising from systems modifications in his Department's Shared Service Centre to accommodate the workings of the flexible benefits project will be met from the flexible benefit projects budget.

Geoff Hoon: These costs will be met from the flexible benefit projects budget.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Geoff Hoon: The Department of Transport was formed in 2002. A total of 522 members of staff have been dismissed. Of these 81 can be identified as dismissed for under-performance. A breakdown is provided in the following table but it does not include the Government Car and Despatch Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency or the Highways Agency; figures which can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Dismissed for under-performance  Total dismissed 
			 2009 12 18 
			 2008 17 89 
			 2007 8 72 
			 2006 12 93 
			 2005 12 82 
			 2004 12 93 
			 2003 8 75 
			 Total 81 522

Departmental Hotels

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on hotel accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) staff (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: Most hotel costs across the Department for Transport are not recorded separately from subsistence expenses. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is not held centrally, or recorded in a way to readily identify these categories of advertising expenditure, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Gifts

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of staff in his Department have received gifts valued at £100 or higher in the course of their duties in each of the last three years; what these gifts were; and from whom they were received.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 16 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 606-7W.

Departmental Pay

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for the provision of total reward statements to  (a) staff in his central Department and  (b) other departmental staff.

Geoff Hoon: Total reward statements are planned for release from 23 September 2009 onwards, for both the central Department and its agencies.

Departmental Research

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on research and development in each of the last 10 years; and what the 10 projects on which the highest expenditure was incurred were.

Geoff Hoon: Information about Departments' annual spend on research and development is published by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) in Table 3.2 of Science Engineering and Technology (SET) Statistics. This is available on the DIUS website.
	The project information requested is not readily available. For example, some projects are collaboratively funded; some are interdependent with others; and projects can take a number of years to complete. However, from the information readily available, the 10 requested projects since the Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 are:
	1. Co-operative Crash Injury Study—Phases 5-8 (£12,900,000)
	2. On-the-Spot Accident Investigation—Phases 1-3 (£8,018,000)
	3. The Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation Environment (£4,084,000)
	4. Compatibility of Cars in Crashes (£2,979,000)
	5. European New Car Secondary Safety Assessment Testing Programme (£2,700,000)
	6. Compatibility and Frontal and Side Impact Test Procedures (£2,272,000)
	7. Intelligent Speed Adaptation (£2,015,000)
	8. Protective helmets for motor and pedal cyclists (£1,720,000)
	9. Mobile Environmental Sensing System (£1,716,000)
	10. New Car Primary Safety Assessment Programme—Phase 2 (£1,501,000)
	These figures represent the total departmental value of the contracts let, some of which are still open.

Departmental Travel

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on car hire in each year since 2001.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Department for Transport 0 156,918 188,144 208,126 353,758 220,352 219,380 
			 Executive Agencies 1,045,417 1,806,204 2,002,484 1,966,638 2,378,604 2,465,910 2,740,918 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide costs for the Department for Transport or for the Driver Standards Agency in 2002-03 because the information is not available in a comparable format.

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Geoff Hoon: Euro Ministers are responsible for the preparation of materials relating to their Departments and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover.

JUSTICE

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of penalty notices for disorder remained unpaid  (a) six and  (b) 12 months after issue in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: We are not able to identify how many and the percentage of those penalty notices which remain unpaid after  (a) six and  (b) 12 months, as it is not possible to provide separate enforcement rates for unpaid PNDs once they have been registered as fines by the courts.
	Information held by the Ministry of Justice for the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued to persons in England and Wales aged 16 and over, by offence type, and the number paid within the suspended enforcement period, for the years 2004 to 2007 (latest available) are shown in the following tables 1 to 4.
	Under the PND Scheme, recipients have 21 days (the suspended enforcement period) in which either to pay the penalty or opt to have their case heard in court. If no action is taken a fine of one and half times the penalty amount is registered against the recipient.
	PND data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2004( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 1,171 512 44 362 31 150 13 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 117 52 44 36 31 16 14 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 44 18 41 15 34 3 7 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 28,790 14,306 50 10,240 36 4,066 14 
			 Throwing fireworks 177 89 50 72 41 17 10 
			 Drunk and disorderly 26,609 14,927 56 11,050 42 3,877 15 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 1,190 681 57 528 44 153 13 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 2,072 870 42 665 32 205 10 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 12 10 83 9 75 1 8 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 12 5 42 1 8 4 33 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 20 10 50 9 45 1 5 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 113 74 65 62 55 12 11 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 84 55 65 49 58 6 7 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 20 9 45 4 20 5 25 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 96 48 50 30 31 18 19 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 66 35 53 27 41 8 12 
			 Drunk in a highway 2,497 1,233 49 860 34 373 15 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 485 113 23 82 17 31 6 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 51 25 49 19 37 6 12 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 7 3 43 3 43 — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 6 3 50 3 50 — — 
			 
			 All offences 63,639 33,078 52 24,126 38 8,952 14 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 579 49 15 1 32 3 30 3 3 0 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 58 50 2 2 5 4 — — — — 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 22 50 — — 2 5 1 2 1 2 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 13,125 46 205 1 666 2 366 1 122 0 
			 Throwing fireworks 80 45 1 1 6 3 1 1 — — 
			 Drunk and disorderly 11,035 41 109 0 346 1 144 1 48 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 481 40 5 0 14 1 5 0 4 0 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 1,128 54 13 1 30 1 12 1 19 1 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 2 17 — — — — — — — — 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 6 50 — — 1 8 — — — — 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 7 35 — — 2 10 1 5 — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 10 9 2 2 27 24 — — — — 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 21 25 — — 8 10 — — — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 10 50 — — — — — — 1 5 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 45 47 — — 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 25 38 — — 5 8 1 2 — — 
			 Drunk in a highway 1,166 47 6 0 75 3 9 0 8 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 349 72 2 0 15 3 4 1 2 0 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 25 49 — — 1 2 — — — — 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 4 57 — — — — — — — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 2 33 — — 1 17 — — — — 
			
			 All offences 28,180 44 360 1 1,237 2 575 1 209 0 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2005( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence code and description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 2,525 1,199 47 890 35 309 12 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 405 238 59 175 43 63 16 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 92 49 53 35 38 14 15 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 64,007 33,915 53 24,357 38 9,558 15 
			 Throwing fireworks 642 347 54 253 39 94 15 
			 Drunk and disorderly 37,038 20,862 56 15,420 42 5,442 15 
			 Sale of alcohol to under 18 2,058 1,805 88 1,460 71 345 17 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 170 106 62 82 48 24 14 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 for consumption on premises 83 59 71 48 58 11 13 
			 Delivery of alcohol to under 18 209 128 61 106 51 22 11 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 12,168 6,996 57 5,180 43 1,816 15 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 21,997 9,057 41 6,965 32 2,092 10 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 33 18 55 13 39 5 15 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 13 5 38 4 31 1 8 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 47 29 62 21 45 8 17 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 32 24 75 13 41 11 34 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 3 2 66 1 33 1 33 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 220 97 44 75 34 22 10 
			 Throwing stones at a train / railway 20 13 65 9 45 4 20 
			 Drunk in a highway 3,138 1,669 53 1,255 40 414 13 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 712 168 24 113 16 55 8 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 737 368 50 274 37 94 13 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on licensed premises 84 66 79 54 64 12 14 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol for under 18 27 14 52 9 33 5 19 
			 Buying alcohol by under 18 21 13 62 11 52 2 10 
			 
			 Total all offences 146,481 77,247 53 56,823 39 20,424 14 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence code and description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 1,161 46 41 2 50 2 44 2 30 1 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 140 35 7 2 10 2 7 2 3 1 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 38 41 2 2 — — 3 3 — — 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 26,754 42 706 1 1,251 2 808 1 573 1 
			 Throwing fireworks 271 42 6 1 8 1 6 1 4 1 
			 Drunk and disorderly 14,459 39 488 1 504 1 472 1 253 1 
			 Sale of alcohol to under 18 211 10 5 0 30 1 4 0 3 0 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 60 35 — — 2 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 for consumption on premises 23 28 — — 1 1 — — — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to under 18 70 33 3 1 5 2 2 1 1 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 4,702 39 107 1 161 1 123 1 79 1 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 11,927 54 187 1 301 1 292 1 233 1 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 14 42 — — 1 3 — — — — 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 8 62 — — — — — — — — 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 15 32 1 2 1 2 — — 1 2 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 6 19 1 3 — — 1 3 — — 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 1 33 — — — — — — — — 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 115 52 — — 3 1 2 1 3 1 
			 Throwing stones at a train / railway 5 25 — — 1 5 1 5 — — 
			 Drunk in a highway 1,339 43 18 1 59 2 31 1 22 1 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 499 70 7 1 26 4 3 0 9 1 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 325 44 8 1 23 3 5 1 8 1 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on licensed premises 16 19 — — — — — — 2 2 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol for under 18 12 44 1 4 — — — — — — 
			 Buying alcohol by under 18 8 38 — — — — — — — — 
			
			 Total all offences 62,179 42 1,588 1 2,437 2 1,805 1 1,225 1 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2006( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 3,933 1,911 49 1,355 34 556 14 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 909 523 58 388 43 135 15 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 106 43 41 35 33 8 8 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 82,235 43,120 52 30,757 37 12,363 15 
			 Throwing fireworks 682 380 56 267 39 113 17 
			 Drunk and disorderly 43,556 24,673 57 18,123 42 6,550 15 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 20,620 11,351 55 8,342 40 3,009 15 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 38,772 16,169 42 12,370 32 3,799 10 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 53 34 64 27 51 7 13 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 28 12 43 9 32 3 11 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 76 51 67 34 45 17 22 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 47 35 74 29 62 6 13 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 60 53 88 41 68 12 20 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 3,195 2,756 86 2,354 74 402 13 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 407 268 66 213 52 55 14 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 60 39 65 35 58 4 7 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 297 176 59 132 44 44 15 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 1,042 551 53 320 31 231 22 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 15 6 40 5 33 1 7 
			 Drunk in a highway 2,712 1,433 53 1,064 39 369 14 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 1,061 252 24 165 16 87 8 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 1,169 593 51 427 37 166 14 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 75 55 73 46 61 9 12 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 14 10 71 10 71 — — 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 73 52 71 43 59 9 12 
			 All offences 201,197 104,546 52 76,591 38 27,955 14 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 1,787 45 44 1 108 3 81 2 2 0 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 319 35 14 2 26 3 24 3 3 0 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 52 49 — — 6 6 5 5 — — 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 35,154 43 780 1 1,914 2 1,126 1 141 0 
			 Throwing fireworks 264 39 5 1 23 3 10 1 — — 
			 Drunk and disorderly 16,919 39 269 1 886 2 725 2 84 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 8,492 41 134 1 324 2 287 1 32 0 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 21,157 55 203 1 732 2 392 1 119 0 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 16 30 1 2 1 2 — — 1 2 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 15 54 — — — — — — 1 4 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 21 28 — — 3 4 1 1 — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 9 19 1 2 2 4 — — — — 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 7 12 — — — — — — — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 390 12 6 0 30 1 10 0 3 0 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 122 30 1 0 10 2 6 1 — — 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 20 33 — — — — 1 2 — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 99 33 3 1 14 5 3 1 2 1 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 463 44 2 0 19 2 6 1 1 0 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 6 40 — — 2 13 — — 1 7 
			 Drunk in a highway 1,158 43 7 0 94 3 16 1 4 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 749 71 7 1 45 4 6 1 2 0 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 536 46 3 0 26 2 10 1 1 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 17 23 — — 2 3 1 1 — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 4 29 — — — — — — — — 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 20 27 — — 1 1 — — — — 
			
			 All offences 87,796 44 1,480 1 4,268 2 2,710 1 397 0 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2007( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 3,966 1,862 47 1,384 35 478 12 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 1,193 670 56 526 44 144 12 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 96 55 57 38 40 17 18 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 77,827 40,357 52 30,761 40 9,596 12 
			 Throwing fireworks 649 374 58 290 45 84 13 
			 Drunk and disorderly 46,996 26,367 56 19,727 42 6,640 14 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 19,946 11,072 56 8,401 42 2,671 13 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 45,146 19,111 42 15,390 34 3,721 8 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 39 25 64 20 51 5 13 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 22 10 45 7 32 3 14 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 106 67 63 57 54 10 9 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 81 64 79 50 62 14 17 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 54 41 76 31 57 10 19 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 3,583 3,074 86 2,623 73 451 13 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 555 320 58 244 44 76 14 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 64 31 48 23 36 8 13 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 431 268 62 219 51 49 11 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 1,527 780 51 441 29 339 22 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 25 13 52 11 44 2 8 
			 Drunk in a highway 2,066 1,146 55 942 46 204 10 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 1,544 328 21 259 17 69 4 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 1,374 705 51 541 39 164 12 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 85 67 79 55 65 12 14 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 11 9 82 8 73 1 9 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 158 109 69 85 54 24 15 
			 
			 All offences 207,544 106,925 52 82,133 40 24,792 12 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 1,807 46 34 1 122 3 140 4 1 0 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 431 36 17 1 43 4 32 3 — — 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 37 39 — — 3 3 1 1 — — 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 33,021 42 626 1 2,210 3 1,577 2 36 0 
			 Throwing fireworks 223 34 9 1 30 5 13 2 — — 
			 Drunk and disorderly 18,161 39 244 1 1,038 2 1,177 3 9 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 7,979 40 112 1 384 2 393 2 6 0 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 24,344 54 172 0 988 2 507 1 24 0 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 13 33 — — 1 3 — — — — 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 10 45 — — 2 9 — — — — 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 31 29 1 1 5 5 2 2 — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 9 11 3 4 2 2 3 4 — — 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 11 20 1 2 1 2 — — — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 405 11 13 0 69 2 22 1 — — 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 211 38 4 1 14 3 5 1 1 0 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 22 34 — — 10 16 1 2 — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 138 32 1 0 19 4 5 1 — — 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 675 44 — — 45 3 26 2 1 0 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 10 40 — — 2 8 — — — — 
			 Drunk in a highway 788 38 8 0 94 5 30 1 — — 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 1,090 71 6 0 87 6 32 2 1 0 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 589 43 2 0 64 5 13 1 1 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 16 19 — — 2 2 — — — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 1 9 — — 1 9 — — — — 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 35 22 — — 13 8 1 1 — — 
			
			 All offences 90,057 43 1,253 1 5,249 3 3,980 2 80 0 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit.

Bail Accommodation and Support Service

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role the Probation Service has in monitoring ex-offenders placed in bail hostels managed by ClearSprings; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: 55 per cent. of those living at a ClearSprings address are defendants on bail and are not subject to Probation supervision, unless they were subject to a relevant prior sentence when bailed by the court. Prisoners serving custodial sentences of more than 12 months are subject to supervision by the National Probation Service (NPS). All those aged between 18 and 21 years that serve a custodial sentence are supervised by the NPS on release. They are required to meet their offender manager on release and have regular contact in accordance with the requirements of their licence supervision. For those released under Home Detention Curfew (HDC) supervision starts at the point of release on HDC and continues until the supervision licence expires. Compliance with the HDC curfew condition is monitored by the relevant electronic monitoring contractor.
	For those living at a ClearSprings address who were serving a custodial sentence of less than 12 months and are over 21 years of age, ClearSprings provides support.

Data Protection: Local Government

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which local authorities the Information Commissioner has found to have breached the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 since 2000.

Michael Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent authority set up to enforce and oversee the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).
	Since the commencement of the DPA in 2000, the ICO has assessed 290 local authorities for compliance with the data protection principles. The ICO aims to resolve complaints informally with data controllers in the first instance. The ICO issued an Enforcement Notice against Plymouth city council obliging it to comply with the principles of the DPA. The ICO also agreed one non-statutory undertaking against Leicester city council to ensure it fulfils its DPA obligations.

Human Rights: Costs

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of changes in Government policy or practice necessitated by judgments made by the European Court of Human Rights since 1998.

Michael Wills: The implementation of a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights is the responsibility of the Department in charge of the policy area concerned, and measures implementing a judgment are often included in wider changes to policy or legislation. The specific cost, if any, of implementing individual judgments therefore cannot be separated out, which prevents such an estimate being made.

Isle of Man: Electricity Generation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 359W, on British Overseas Territories: renewable energy, from what sources the remainder of the Isle of Man's electricity demands are generated.

Michael Wills: In the year 2007-08, the Isle of Man's electricity demand was met approximately as follows: 84 per cent. gas (using combined cycle gas turbines), 10 per cent. imports, 4 per cent. energy from waste, 1 per cent. hydro and 1 per cent. diesel.

Isle of Man: Electricity Generation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009,  Official Report column 359W, on British Overseas Territories: renewable energy, what the annual cost of operating the hydro-generation facility in the Isle of Man is.

Michael Wills: The Isle of Man hydro-generation facility has operational costs of typically less than £25,000 per annum and is a priority generator, subject to sufficient reservoir water levels.

Magistrates Courts: Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average daily amount paid to a magistrate was in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: Magistrates are not paid for carrying out their duties but may claim allowances within specified limits for travel, subsistence and financial loss. The structure of HMCS' financial systems does not enable the calculation of the daily amount paid in allowances.
	From 1 August 2008, magistrates may claim the following daily allowances:
	
		
			  Day subsistence 
			   £ 
			 Four to eight hours 7.34 
			 Eight to 12 hours 10.23 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial loss 
			  £ 
			   Self-employed  Other 
			 Up to four hours 56.63 45.30 
			 Over four hours 113.26 90.61 
		
	
	Approximately half of the 30,000 magistrates in England and Wales do not claim any allowances.
	On average, magistrates sit 17.5 days per annum. The total loss of earnings and travel and subsistence costs paid to magistrates in each of the last three years was:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 17,560,000 
			 2007-08 16,911,000 
			 2008-09 17,839,000

Prison Service: Pay

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of each  (a) prison and  (b) young offender institution's budget was spent on management staff salaries in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: National Offender Management Unit finance systems provide analysis between unified and clerical staff but do not allow specific analysis of management salaries without a disproportionate amount of manual analysis. Each prison would need to be contacted individually and asked to undertake a manual analysis of their payroll. It is estimated that this would be a day's work at each prison.

Prisoners Release: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any prisoners transferred from a prison in Northern Ireland to a prison in England and Wales have since been released under the end of custody licence scheme.

David Hanson: Prisoners transferred from Northern Ireland to serve their sentences in England and Wales may be released on ECL provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
	Between the start of the end of custody licence (ECL) scheme in June 2007 and the end of April 2009, there have been eight transfers of prisoners from a Northern Ireland prison to a prison in England and Wales. None of these eight has been released on ECL.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Coltishall

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on what date his Department's final decision to acquire the site of RAF Coltishall for conversion into a prison was taken; and on what date construction work for conversion of the buildings commenced;
	(2)  on what date his Department  (a) decided to acquire,  (b) acquired and  (c) took unencumbered possession of RAF Coltishall; and on what date (i) construction on the site began and (ii) he expects the first prisoners to be received at HM Prison Coltishall.

Jack Straw: In response to Lord Carter's report, "Securing the Future: Proposals for the Efficient and Sustainable Use of Custody in England and Wales" in January 2008 Ministers agreed to the acquisition of the former RAF Coltishall site in Norfolk for conversion to a prison.
	The site had previously been under consideration by the Home Office as immigration detention centre since 2006 and the Ministry of Justice acquired the site from the UK Border Agency in March 2008.
	The work which did not require planning approval began in April 2008. Work requiring approval began in February 2009.
	The prison is due to receive the first 259 prisoners in November 2009 and become fully operational by spring 2010.

Prisons: Coltishall

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the  (a) annualised capital and  (b) annual revenue cost of each prisoner place at HM Prison Coltishall throughout its planned lifetime.

Jack Straw: Work is currently being undertaken to establish and approve detailed running costs for the new prison at Coltishall.

Prisons: Coltishall

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department will pay to  (a) the Ministry of Defence and  (b) other freehold and leasehold owners of the land on which HM Prison Coltishall will be sited in each financial year in which payments will be made.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice owns the Coltishall site outright, and so there are no fees payable in terms of freehold and leasehold of the land.

Probation: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) probation officers and  (b) probation service officers were employed by North Yorkshire Probation Area on 31 March of each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of probation officers and probation service officers in post in North Yorkshire probation area on 31 March in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			   Probation officers( 1, 2)  Probation service officers( 2) 
			 2003-04 76 40 
			 2004-05 94 60 
			 2005-06 87 45 
			 2006-07 87 57 
			 2007-08(3) 74 73 
			 (1) Probation officer figures include senior probation officers, senior practitioners and probation officers. (2) The fluctuating levels of staff are likely to be as a result of inconsistent classification of roles in the previous method of collecting information and these should be rectified within the HR Data Warehouse. (3) The information provided has yet to be published and may therefore be subject to minor amendment upon publication.  Notes: 1. Figures are shown as full-time equivalents. 2. Figures for the year 2008-09 are not yet available.

Probation: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders in North Yorkshire Probation Area were categorised as tier 4 in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The total number of offenders in North Yorkshire who were categorised as tier 4 as at 31 March in each of the last three years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 318 
			 2007 336 
			 2008 369 
		
	
	Information on tier 4 was not recorded prior to 1 April 2005.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) probation staff and  (b) trainee probation officers are expected to be made redundant in North Yorkshire Probation Area in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

David Hanson: Budget discussions will be taking place between the director of Offender Management and the North Yorkshire Area over the coming months and it is too early to pre-empt the outcome of these discussions. At this stage, no probation posts have been identified as being at risk and no formal notice of redundancy has been issued.
	With regards to trainee probation officers, attempts are being made to ensure that all graduating trainees are offered positions at the end of their training.

Probation: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect of planned job reductions in North Yorkshire Probation Area on the Probation Service's national standards and service delivery.

David Hanson: The chief officer of North Yorkshire Probation Board is working closely with Steve Wagstaffe the Yorkshire and Humberside director of Offender Management to avoid compulsory redundancies in North Yorkshire in 2009-10.
	The chief officer has assured the director of Offender Management for Yorkshire and Humberside that the North Yorkshire Probation Board will maintain national standards and deliver the level of service specified in the service level agreement for 2009-10.

Probation: Rural Areas

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how the funding formula for probation services takes account of the costs of providing probation services in rural areas.

David Hanson: There are a number of factors taken into account to ensure that funding allocations are as fair as possible, including:
	current financial performance and pressures;
	detailed work by specifications benchmarking and costing programme to identify areas where efficiencies and savings can be achieved;
	contrasting previous budget allocations with amalgamated indictable and summary convictions for the area. Adjustments have been made where data indicates significant (i.e. over 10 per cent.) relative over-provision compared to the norm; and
	the need to avoid radical budget changes within any one area.

Probation: Staffordshire

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) probation officers and  (b) probation service officers were employed in the Staffordshire probation area on 31 March in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of probation officers and probation service officers in post in the Staffordshire probation area on 31 March in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			   Probation officers( 1)  Probation service officers 
			 2003-04 146 81 
			 2004-05 153 91 
			 2005-06 155 87 
			 2006-07 173 92 
			 2007-08(2) 159 92 
			 (1) Probation officer figures include senior probation officers, senior practitioners and probation officers. (2) The information provided has yet to be published and may therefore be subject to minor amendment upon publication.  Notes: 1. Figures are shown as full-time equivalents. 2. Figures for the year 2008-09 are not yet available.

Probation: Staffordshire

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of changes of staffing levels in Staffordshire probation area on  (a) observance of national probation standards and  (b) levels of service delivery.

David Hanson: The chief officer of Staffordshire Probation Board is working closely with Gill Mortlock the West Midlands director of Offender Management to ensure staffing levels are sufficient to maintain national standards in Staffordshire in 2009-10.
	The chief officer has assured the director of Offender Management for West Midlands that the Staffordshire Probation Board will maintain national standards and deliver the level of service specified in the service level agreement for 2009-10.

Probation: Wales

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) probation officers and  (b) probation service officers were employed by South Wales Probation Area on 31 March in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The following table shows the numbers of probation officers and probation service officers in post in the South Wales Probation Area on 31 March in each of the last five financial years:
	
		
			   Probation officers( 1)  Probation service officers 
			 2003-04 172 138 
			 2004-05 192 160 
			 2005-06 206 169 
			 2006-07 211 162 
			 2007-08(2) 228 178 
			 (1) Probation officer figures include senior probation officers, senior practitioners and probation officers. (2) The information provided has yet to be published and may therefore be subject to minor amendment upon publication.  Note: 1. Figures are shown as full-time equivalents. 2. Figures for the year 2008-09 are not yet available.

Probation: Wales

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) community and  (b) custody caseload of South Wales Probation Area on 31 March was in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The total community and pre-release custodial offender case load for South Wales as at 31 March in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Supervised in community  Supervised in custody 
			 2004 4,355 1,513 
			 2005 4,830 1,590 
			 2006 4,974 1,516 
			 2007 4,800 1,572 
			 2008 5,119 1,711 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation: Wales

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were referred to Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels in South Wales Probation Area in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The following table shows the total number of multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) eligible offenders living in the community in South Wales probation area. The table also shows the number of eligible offenders who were managed at the higher MAPPA levels and who were considered by multi-agency public protection panels. Cases are referred to level 2 where the involvement of several agencies will be required to implement or monitor the risk management plan and to level 3 where more senior oversight is additionally required. These data are taken from South Wales MAPPA Annual Reports.
	
		
			  South Wales 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total MAPPA eligible offenders 1,054 1,325 1,152 1,172 1,395 
			 Level 2 (1)— 575 607 673 491 
			 Level 3 65 51 100 68 88 
			 (1) Not collected.

Probation: Wales

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders in the South Wales Probation Area were categorised as tier 4 in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The total number of offenders in South Wales who were categorised as tier 4 as at 31 March in each of the last three years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 1,139 
			 2007 1,152 
			 2008 1,142 
		
	
	Information on tier was not recorded prior to 1 April 2005.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Youth Custody

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many beds in each secure  (a) children's home and  (b) secure training centre in each local authority were available for (i) purchase by the Youth Justice Board and (ii) welfare placements in each year since 2002.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	Any places in secure children's homes that are not required for welfare placements are available for purchase by the Youth Justice Board. The following table shows the number of secure children's home places block-purchased by the Youth Justice Board since 2002. The data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board and relate to the contractual position as at 1 April in each year. Actual contracted places may vary through the year where a contractor fails to meet the requirements of the contract and places are declared unavailable until the issues have been addressed.
	
		
			  Youth Justice Board contracted places in secure children's homes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Aldine House 6 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Atkinson Unit 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Aycliffe 30 35 30 30 30 30 30 30 
			 Barton Moss 17 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 
			 Briars Hey (Orchard House) 4 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Brunei Unit 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Clare Lodge 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Clayfields House 9 9 12 12 12 12 12 12 
			 Dales House 6 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyson Hall (Gladstone Unit) 9 16 16 16 16 16 0 0 
			 East Moor 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 34 
			 Hillside 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 15 
			 Lincolnshire 4 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 
			 Kyloe House 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 
			 Leverton 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Orchard Lodge 16 18 18 18 18 18 16 16 
			 Red Bank 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 
			 Redsands 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 St. John's Tiffield 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stamford House 20 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stoke House 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sutton Place 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 
			 Swanwick Lodge 5 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Thornbury House 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Vinney Green 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of secure training centre places purchased by the Youth Justice Board since 2002. Young people are not accommodated in secure training centres for welfare reasons. The data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board and relate to the contractual position as at 1 April in each year. Actual contracted places may vary through the year where a contractor fails to meet the requirements of the contract and places are declared unavailable until the issues have been addressed.
	
		
			  Youth Justice Board contracted places in Secure Training Centres 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Hassockfield 42 42 42 42 42 58 58 58 
			 Medway 44 76 76 76 76 76 76 76 
			 Oakhill n/a n/a n/a 80 80 80 80 80 
			 Rainsbrook 44 76 76 76 76 87 87 87 
		
	
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not maintain a central record of contracted places in children's homes in England and Wales since 2002 by each home and it is therefore not possible to provide data on the number of welfare places in secure children's homes.

Youth Justice: Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the total cost of youth courts was in each of the last three years; and how many trials were carried out in youth courts in each such year;
	(2)  what the average cost to the public purse of a youth court trial was in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: The HMCS accounting system reports court costs by court type; Crown, magistrates, combined, and location. It is not currently possible to separately identify and disaggregate youth court related costs. As a result it is not possible to calculate average court costs.
	Youth court trials for the year ended 31 March were:
	
		
			   Youth court trials 
			 2008 23,375 
			 2009 19,078 
		
	
	No statistics relating to youth court trials for the year ended 31 March 2007 are available.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Angling: Licensing

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) junior concession,  (b) senior concession,  (c) disabled concession and  (d) full season rod licences have been issued in each year since 1997.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table indicates the number of full, senior, disabled and junior rod licences issued by the Environment Agency (EA) since 1999. Prior to this, the EA used different systems to store rod licence information. Such information is, therefore, not available in the categories required.
	
		
			   Full (trout and coarse and salmon)  Senior (trout and coarse and salmon)  Disabled (trout and coarse and salmon)  Junior (trout and coarse and salmon) 
			 1999 589,245 77,889 51,496 84,831 
			 2000 557,372 73,475 50,601 78,627 
			 2001 596,645 86,749 57,281 116,362 
			 2002 563,800 89,149 57,648 116,026 
			 2003 614,978 90,268 61,835 125,764 
			 2004 637,125 97,818 58,516 128,173 
			 2005 660,256 105,357 38,891 118,310 
			 2006 669,061 112,166 32,865 120,268 
			 2007 649,731 114,491 36,486 123,866 
			 2008 793,127 164,442 51,372 129,501 
			  Source:  The Environment Agency's rod licence database.

British Waterways Board: Finance

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what income British Waterways received from its non-operational canal side property portfolio was in the last 12 months; and how much of that income was allocated to spending on waterways maintenance and improvement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: British Waterways' income from their canal side non-operational property for 2008-09 is estimated to be £43.2 million, pending final audited figures(1). All of this income was used in 2008-09 to fund operational expenditure on managing the waterways including maintenance and improvement.
	(1) Figures obtained from British Waterways.

British Waterways Board: Finance

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to assist British Waterways to establish a business model to provide a sustainable future for the waterways; what options are under consideration for the future of the waterways; and how those options will be evaluated.

Huw Irranca-Davies: British Waterways has launched a national debate on its proposal to move towards third sector status over the longer term. My Department, the Treasury, and the Shareholder Executive are engaged with British Waterways in discussing what is the best model for supporting a sustainable future for the waterways. We will be interested to see the responses to the public debate on British Waterways' third sector suggestion.
	The Operational Efficiency Programme review, announced on 21 April 2009, concluded that a wholly owned subsidiary of British Waterways should be set up to manage its canal side non-operational property portfolio which is now being implemented. Government will monitor the impacts of the subsidiary and the progress of British Waterways' strategy before taking any decisions on any further change to the British Waterways business model.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) officials of his Department accompanied him to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was accompanied by one official only.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what car journeys he undertook in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was driven from Glasgow Central station to the Cabinet meeting. Following the meeting, he was driven to visit the Forth and Clyde canal regeneration project, after which he returned to Glasgow Central.

Departmental Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has a Corporate Service Standard that complaints be dealt with within 15 working days of receipt.
	The Department's aim is for complaints received by whatever means, i.e.  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via the Department's website, be dealt with where possible at the point of receipt.
	Where this is not possible, the complaint is passed to the unit within the Department responsible for the area of work complained about to be dealt with there.
	If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, DEFRA's complaints procedure provides the complainant with the option to escalate the complaint as follows:
	to the Department's impartial Service Standards Complaints Adjudicator for complaints about standard of service; or
	to the Secretary of State for DEFRA or to a DEFRA Minister via a Member of Parliament for complaints about DEFRA policy or legal issues.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The table details the number of staff in DEFRA and its agencies that were dismissed  (a) for underperformance and  (b) in total in each of the last eight financial years. DEFRA was created in June 2001 and therefore data is only available from this date. Included in the data are only DEFRA's Executive Agencies and not Non-Departmental Public Bodies as sourcing this information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
	DEFRA and its agencies improving performance policies and procedures are in line with the Civil Service Management Code. All staff have access to these policies and procedures via the DEFRA intranet.
	
		
			  Financial year  Dismissal for underperformance( 1)  Total number of dismissals 
			 2001-02 5 52 
			 2002-03 0 49 
			 2003-04 6 54 
			 2004-05 5 34 
			 2005-06 6 33 
			 2006-07 10 24 
			 2007-08 4 23 
			 2008-09 29 47 
			 (1) The data for dismissal for underperformance represents the minimum number. There may have been others however dismissal data was not recorded via category in some agencies until recently.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1295W, on departmental public expenditure, what progress has been made by his Department in allocating the £25 million capital spending brought forward from 2009-10 to 2008-09.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The £25 million capital spending referred to was brought forward from 2010-11 into 2009-10. This additional funding has been programmed into the budgets for Environment Agency flood risk management (£20 million) and British Waterways capital spending on network infrastructure maintenance (£5 million). Expenditure is being monitored on a monthly basis.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 May 2009,  Official Report, column 5W on departmental public expenditure, how many  (a) Ministers,  (b) civil servants and  (c) other parties attended (i) the internal conference held in October 2008 and (ii) the seminar with delivery bodies held in November 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The internal conference in October 2008 was attended by 134 civil servants and four people from outside the Department. No Ministers attended the internal conference.
	No Ministers attended the seminar with delivery bodies held in November 2008. Eight civil servants and 13 people from outside the Department attended.

Departmental Reviews

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) review and  (b) taskforce projects his Department has commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Summary information on taskforces and other standing bodies is available in the annual Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies". Copies of "Public Bodies 2008" are available in the Libraries of the House. Detailed information on ad hoc advisory bodies is available in "DEFRA's Public Bodies" on DEFRA's website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/delivery/landscape/pdf/public-bodies.pdf
	Information about reviews commissioned since the Department's creation is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Stationery

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA orders low cost promotional items only to support specific campaign messages to external audiences. The following figures show how much DEFRA spent on promotional materials each year since 2005.
	 2005-06
	Total spend £465.80—T-shirts;
	 2006-07
	Total spend £13,806.00—T-shirts, travel wallets and toothbrushes for the BME Illegal Food Imports campaign;
	 2007-08
	Total spend £10,177.80—T-shirts, pens, travel wallets for the BME Illegal Food Imports campaign and T-shirts for Act on CO2 campaign;
	 2008-09
	Total spend £10,475.00—Organic t-shirts, recycled pens and travel wallets for BME Illegal Food Imports campaign.

Environment Agency: Vacancies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many vacancies there were for  (a) flood risk engineers,  (b) flood risk planners,  (c) flood risk project managers and  (d) other flood risk management posts in the Environment Agency in each region on 1 April in each of the last five years; and for how long each such post has been vacant.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following tables show the number of vacancies in regional flood risk teams in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and to May 2009 in each region. It also provides a breakdown of how long these have been vacant during 2008 and 2009. Information on this preceding 2008 is not available.
	The majority of posts are filled by permanent employees and as part of the Environment Agency's resourcing strategy a range of other techniques are used to ensure that work is completed within agreed timeframes. These include the use of consultants, contractors, part-time or flexible working.
	
		
			  Region  Positions  Vacancy May 2009  Vacant for 0 to 3 Months  Vacant for 3 to 6 months  Vacant for 6 to 12 Months  Vacant for 12 months + 
			  Anglian FR planners 2 2 0 0 0 
			  FR engineers 9 4 1 3 1 
			  FR project managers 11 6 3 2 0 
			  Others 2 2 0 0 0 
			 Anglian total  24 14 4 5 1 
			
			  Midlands FR planners 2 1 1 0 0 
			  FR engineers 10 7 1 1 1 
			  FR project managers 5 5 0 0 0 
			  Others 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Midlands total  17 13 2 1 1 
			
			  North East FR planners 1 1 0 0 0 
			  FR engineers 5 1 0 3 1 
			  FR project managers 4 3 0 1 0 
			  Others 5 4 0 1 0 
			 North East total  15 9 0 5 1 
			
			  North West FR planners 3 0 1 2 0 
			  FR engineers 5 0 1 4 0 
			  FR project managers 2 0 2 0 0 
			  Others 5 4 0 1 0 
			 North West total  15 4 4 7 0 
			
			  Southern FR planners 4 0 0 4 0 
			  FR engineers 6 2 1 3 0 
			  FR project managers 1 0 1 0 0 
			  Others 2 2 0 0 0 
			 Southern total  13 4 2 7 0 
			  South West FR planners 4 3 1 0 0 
			  FR engineers 16 16 0 0 0 
			  FR project managers 10 10 0 0 0 
			  Others 4 4 0 0 0 
			 South West total  34 33 1 0 0 
			
			  Thames FR planners 3 0 1 2 0 
			  FR engineers 6 3 1 1 1 
			  FR project managers 3 1 0 2 0 
			  Others 10 4 0 6 0 
			 Thames total  22 8 2 11 1 
			
			  Wales FR planners 2 1 1 0 0 
			  FR engineers 2 2 0 0 0 
			  FR project managers 5 4 0 1 0 
			  Others 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Wales total  10 8 1 1 0 
			
			  Overall total  150 93 16 37 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Region  Positions  Vacancy May 2008  Vacant for 0 to 3 Months  Vacant for 3 to 6 months  Vacant for 6 to 12 Months  Vacant for 12months + 
			  Anglian FR planners 9 4 1 3 1 
			  FR engineers 8 2 5 0 1 
			  FR project managers 9 4 4 1 0 
			  Other 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Anglian total  27 11 10 4 2 
			
			  Midlands FR planners 1 0 1 0 0 
			  FR engineers 5 3 1 0 1 
			  FR project managers 8 4 2 2 0 
			  Other 3 2 1 0 0 
			 Midlands total  17 9 5 2 1 
			
			  North East FR planners 2 2 0 0 0 
			  FR engineers 9 9 0 (T 0 
			  FR project managers 9 8 1 0 0 
			  Other 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North East total  20 19 1 0 0 
			
			  North West FR planners 1 1 0 0 0 
			  FR engineers 10 9 1 0 0 
			  FR project managers 7 6 1 0 0 
			  Other 3 0 0 1 2 
			 North West total  21 16 2 1 2 
			
			  Southern FR planners 3 2 1 0 0 
			  FR engineers 7 7 0 0 0 
			  FR project managers 4 4 0 0 0 
			  Other 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Southern total  14 13 1 0 0 
			
			  South West FR planners 4 1 2 1 0 
			  FR engineers 15 7 3 3 2 
			  FR project managers 9 3 2 3 1 
			  Other 2 2 0 0 0 
			 South West total  30 13 7 7 3 
			
			  Thames FR planners 1 1 0 0 0 
			  FR engineers 9 4 2 2 1 
			  FR project managers 7 7 0 0 0 
			  Other 4 3 1 0 0 
			 Thames total  21 15 3 2 1 
			
			  Wales FR planners 2 0 1 1 0 
			  FR engineers 4 2 2 0 0 
			  FR project managers 7 1 2 2 2 
			  Other 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Wales total  14 4 5 3 2 
			
			  Overall total  164 100 34 19 11 
		
	
	
		
			  Region  Positions  Vacancies May 2009  Vacancies 2008  Vacancies 2007  Vacancies 2006  Vacancies 2005 
			  Anglian FR planners 2 9 7 6 7 
			  FR engineers 9 8 9 2 3 
			  FR project managers 11 9 4 5 7 
			  Others 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Anglian total  24 27 20 13 17 
			
			  Midlands FR planners 2 1 2 0 1 
			  FR engineers 10 5 5 6 6 
			  FR project managers 5 8 7 7 7 
			  Others 0 3 0 0 0 
			 Midlands total  17 17 14 13 14 
			
			  North East FR planners 1 2 2 1 1 
			  FR engineers 5 9 7 2 5 
			  FR project managers 4 9 6 0 5 
			  Others 5 0 0 0 0 
			 North East total  15 20 15 3 11 
			
			  North West FR planners 3 1 0 0 1 
			  FR engineers 5 10 4 1 2 
			  FR project managers 2 7 4 5 8 
			  Others 5 3 0 0 0 
			 North West total  15 21 8 6 11 
			
			  Southern FR planners 4 3 3 4.5 4.5 
			  FR engineers 6 7 6 19 19 
			  FR project managers 1 4 2 6 6 
			  Others 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Southern total  13 14 11 29.5 29.5 
			
			  South West FR planners 4 4 0 5 6 
			  FR engineers 16 15 3 13 13 
			  FR project managers 10 9 6 4 5 
			  Others 4 2 0 0 0 
			 South West total  34 30 9 22 24 
			  Thames FR planners 3 1 4 3 3 
			  FR engineers 6 9 7 26 27 
			  FR project managers 3 7 8 5 6 
			  Others 10 4 0 0 0 
			 Thames total  22 21 19 34 36 
			
			  Wales FR planners 2 2 4 4 4 
			  FR engineers 2 4 0 0 0 
			  FR project managers 5 7 6 3 3 
			  Others 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Wales total  10 14 10 7 7 
			
			  Overall total  150 164 106 127.5 149.5

Fisheries

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the level of illegal fishing within the UK's 12 nautical mile limit in each year since 1997.

Huw Irranca-Davies: By its very nature, illegal fishing is clandestine and so it is extremely difficult to make an accurate estimate of the levels of illegal fishing activities.
	Information on the number of successful prosecutions of offences discovered, and the number of official written warnings issued by the UK fisheries control authorities, in relation to vessels not complying with regulations regarding access to the 12 mile limit is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Prosecutions  Official written warnings 
			 1997 2 2 
			 1998 2 1 
			 1999 3 1 
			 2000 1 1 
			 2001 3 1 
			 2002 8 0 
			 2003 9 1 
			 2004 6 2 
			 2005 2 5 
			 2006 5 2 
			 2007 2 0 
			 2008 4 0 
			 2009 0 2 
			 Total 47 18 
			  Source : Statistics supplied by the Marine and Fisheries Agency, Marine Scotland and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. 
		
	
	All other successful prosecutions of fisheries offences and official written warnings issued, are not recorded in a way which specifies whether the offence took place within or outside of the 12 mile limit.
	Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs) enforce local fisheries bye-laws and some other fisheries regulations within the six mile limit of England and Wales. Information on successful prosecutions of fisheries offences by SFCs are not held by the Marine and Fisheries Agency.

Fisheries: Quotas

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total allowable catch is of vessels from each EU member state in fishing zones partially or fully within the UK's 200 nautical mile limit; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The United Kingdom's 200 nautical mile fisheries limit includes part of the fishing zones classified by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) as areas IIa, IV, Vb1, Vb2, VIa, VIb and VIIa, d, e, f, g, h and j. A map of these zones can be found on the ICES website:
	www.ices.dk/aboutus/icesareas.asp
	Since fish stocks can straddle the territorial waters of several member and non-member states of the European Union, the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for stocks which fall partially or wholly within these ICES zones are set at Community level by Ministers each December at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council and, where necessary, by third country agreements with Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
	Details of TACs and Quotas for 2009 can be found in the following EU legislation, which is available on the European Commission's website:
	http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/legislation/other/conservation_en.htm
	Council Regulation (EC) No 43/2009 of 16 January 2009 fixing for 2009 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required (Annex I); and
	Council Regulation (EC) No 1359/2008 of 28 November 2008 fixing for 2009 and 2010 the fishing opportunities for Community fishing vessels for certain deep-sea fish stocks (Annex, Part 2)

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of  (a) high risk and  (b) other flood defence systems have been at target condition in each of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency began measuring the condition of flood risk management systems in 2007.At that time 45.0 per cent. (643 out of 1,429) of high consequence systems and 45.8 per cent. of all systems were at or above their required condition.
	In 2008, 66.5 per cent. (958 out of 1,440) of high consequence systems and 72.5 per cent. (2,259 out of 3,117) of all systems were at or above the required condition.
	As of April 2009 71.9 per cent. (951 out of 1,323) of high consequence systems and 73.5 per cent. (2,136 out of 2,907) of all systems were at or above required condition.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent to local authorities in December 2008 on flood risk and the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Pitt report on flooding.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I will place a copy of the letter in question in the Library of the House.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities which have  (a) collated and  (b) mapped their main flood risk management and drainage assets.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In October 2008 the Local Government Association undertook a survey for DEFRA to assess what local flood risk management activities were being undertaken by local authorities. The survey included a question on whether they had collected and mapped information on flood risk management assets owned by themselves, by water companies and those privately owned. 66 per cent. of authorities responded to the survey and indicated that:
	85 per cent. had collated and mapped some or all of their own assets;
	41 per cent. had collated and mapped some or all water company assets and;
	48 per cent. had collated and mapped some or all privately owned assets.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish  (a) the national register of flood rescue assets and  (b) a list of assets which must be purchased before the winter of 2009-10.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In April 2009 we initiated a national Flood Rescue Enhancement Project involving all the key organisations in the UK associated with search and rescue, and flood rescue in particular. The project has prepared a draft national register of flood rescue assets. Work is in hand to validate the information held on the register to ensure it is kept up-to-date—we envisage that it will be a 'live' dataset to track the availability of flood rescue assets (and trained rescue personnel) across a range of organisations operating in the UK. As it will be a dataset of assets owned by a multitude of organisations, publication of a snapshot of the register, once completed, would be a matter for collective agreement by all of the organisations involved.
	The review of existing assets and the ongoing work during the summer to determine flood rescue capability requirements will provide a much clearer indication of any gaps in existing capability. We will then be in a position to target investment in order to bring existing assets (and trained rescue personnel) that are not yet declared on the national register up to an agreed operational standard.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which emergency response organisations have enhanced their training and flood rescue capability following the floods in summer 2007.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Following the floods in 2007, organisations which have enhanced their training and flood rescue capability include the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, numerous fire and rescue services throughout England and Wales, mountain rescue services, and the Maritime Coastguard Agency. Other enhancements have also been made by organisations such as the Automobile Association, the Red Cross, the RSPCA and numerous small specialist flood rescue associations and groups such as Global Rescue Services.
	Some of these organisations have trained together and begun to use commonly recognised accreditation standards such as "Swift Water Rescue Technician". Some have made investments in both the training and purchasing of equipment and assets to enhance their flood rescue capability over the past 18 months.
	The Flood Rescue National Enhancement Project will bring a lot of these components together to deliver the primary aim of improving flood rescue capability and co-ordination between the agencies concerned.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in increasing flood resilience at sites of critical infrastructure.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The energy sector began work on improving resilience to flooding in the autumn of 2007, with an initial focus on electricity substations being extended to include both gas and oil installations. The Energy Networks Association, working with the Government and the electricity industry, has produced a report on the steps that can be taken to further safeguard electricity substations. The matter is being given full consideration with the industry regulator in the scope of the current distribution companies' price review.
	In addition, lessons from the 2007 floods are being taken forward in relation to water companies. All companies have considered resilience in their draft business plans, which were submitted to Ofwat in August. The plans vary, as expected, reflecting the size of the company and the specific challenges presented by their locations. In total, almost £1 billion of investment has been proposed to increase resilience.
	The Natural Hazards Team is now in place in the Cabinet Office and will work across all infrastructure sectors to prioritise and co-ordinate work to counter the risks to national infrastructure from natural hazards.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made in the establishment of a natural hazard team.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Natural Hazards Team was established in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office at the beginning of May.

Floods: Gardens

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the outcomes of the research conducted by his Department into the effects of the paving of back gardens on levels of flood risk.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned this research, which has not yet been completed. We intend to publish the final report on completion.

Floods: Property Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers his Department has other than those in Planning Policy Guidance 25 to restrict building on flood risk areas; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Powers to control and restrict building development are provided by the Town and Country Planning Acts. These powers are principally exercised by local planning authorities and, where appropriate, by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. My Department has no specific additional powers to influence planning decisions.

Floods: Property Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1057W, on floods: property development, which local planning authorities granted planning permission against an Environment Agency objection in each of the years for which information was provided in the answer.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A document listing those English local planning authorities that granted planning permission against Environment Agency advice on flood risk in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 has been placed in the Library of the House.

Inland Waterways: Olympic Games 2012

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to assist British Waterways to enable the transport of freight by water to and from the Olympic site.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA provides grant in aid to British Waterways in order for it to meet its statutory responsibilities for the maintenance of its waterways, including enabling freight transport as appropriate. DEFRA and its sponsored bodies—British Waterways, the Environment Agency and Natural England—promoted an initiative to maximise the potential of the waterways around the Olympic site, including for freight. The construction of Prescott Lock, which has opened up these rivers for the sustainable movement of materials by water, was funded by a number of bodies, among them the Department for Transport through a Freight Facilities Grant, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the Olympic Delivery Authority and Transport for London. Apart from grant in aid support for British Waterways, DEFRA provided £2 million towards the total £20 million cost of this project from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund(1).
	(1) Figures obtained from British Waterways

Sewers: Private Sector

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of anticipated changes to charges to households from the transfer of private drains and sewers in England and Wales to the ownership of the statutory water and sewerage companies from 2011.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 15 December 2008 that privately owned sewers and lateral drains in England will be transferred to water and sewerage companies from 2011. The accompanying impact assessment indicated an average rise of £10 per year on all sewerage bills, varying from £4 to £12 across different companies in England and Wales. This equates to around 7.5 pence to 23 pence a week.
	Such increase must be balanced against the potential for significant bills for repair and maintenance which householders can currently face, often unexpectedly finding that they own a section of private drain or sewer beyond their property's curtilage.
	Transfer in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government, which announced as part of its Strategic Policy Position Statement on Water on 31 March that it will pursue the development of regulations in 2011 to facilitate the transfer of private sewers.

Water Charges

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the average weekly water bill for a  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four or more person household.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Neither Ofwat nor my Department hold information on the average weekly water bill for households.
	Ofwat's leaflet "Your water and sewerage bill 2009-10" provides information on average annual water bills for unmetered and metered bills for every water company in England and Wales. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

Water: Maps

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the Environment Agency's surface water mapping; and whether the accuracy of the mapping has been subject to independent verification.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has confirmed that the accuracy of the surface water mapping was independently assessed, although the information currently available to do this is limited. The maps of Areas Susceptible to Surface Water were compared with those of the 15 Integrated Urban Drainage pilot projects and models already held by the independent consultants.
	The information on the maps is still under development and is currently only considered suitable for emergency planning purposes. The maps give an indication of the broad areas likely to be susceptible to surface water flooding based upon an extreme summer rainfall event with no drainage systems working. The information is not sufficiently accurate to use for individual properties as the current version excludes, for example, the impact of buildings and kerb heights on surface water flows, which at the local level can be significant. There will be properties at risk from surface water flooding that will not be included within the outline areas on the maps, and possibly other individual properties within the areas outlined that are not at risk because of particular local features that the mapping process did not reflect.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much expenditure was incurred in respect of overseas visits which  (a) she,  (b) other Ministers in the Government Equalities Office and  (c) Government Equalities Office senior officials undertook in 2008.

Maria Eagle: In 2008 the Government Equalities Office incurred the following expenditure for overseas travel by its Ministers and senior officials:
	
		
			  2008 
			   Number of visits  Expenditure (£) 
			 Minister for Equality 0 0 
			 Other GEO Ministers 3 966 
			 GEO Senior Officials 5 6,989 
			 Total 8 7,955

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Advertising: Competition

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make an assessment of the level of competitiveness of the UK online advertising market; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK has the largest advertising market in Europe(1) and online advertising is the fastest growing advertising medium in the UK. In 2008, UK online advertising was responsible for 19.2 per cent. of the UK advertising market—up from 15.5 per cent. in 2007(2).
	The World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) has forecast that in 2009 total internet adspend in the UK will be £3.96 billion, overtaking the value of television advertising estimated at £3.83 billion.
	The Government are committed to supporting the UK's creative industries. The Government's strategy for the Creative Economy, Creative Britain—New Talents for a New Economy, published in 2008, sets out a range of initiatives that will help provide the business support structures and skilled workforce needed to ensure the UK's creative industries remain highly competitive.
	(1) source: The Advertising Statistics Yearbook 2008
	(2) source: Internet Advertising Bureau.

Business: Regulation

Brian Binley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many regulations imposing costs on businesses were introduced in 2008.

Ian Pearson: The information on regulations is published on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website:
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation
	However, the overall number that affect business is not collated centrally.

Business: Regulation

Brian Binley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether impact assessments have been carried out on all regulations affecting businesses which are due to come into force in April 2009.

Ian Pearson: All new regulatory changes introduced and published on BusinessLink:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/ccds
	in April 2009 have impact assessments where required. The impact assessments can be found online on the Impact Assessment Library:
	www.ialibrary.berr.gov.uk
	or embedded within the Explanatory Memoranda for the relevant legislation published on the OPSI website:
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation

EU Internal Trade

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the monetary value of UK  (a) exports to and  (b) imports from other EU countries was (i) including and (ii) excluding the Rotterdam/Antwerp effect in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: Office for National Statistics data for UK exports to and imports from the EU27 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK goods exports to the EU  UK services exports to the EU  UK goods imports from the EU  UK services imports from the EU 
			 1998 99,336 — 105,048 — 
			 1999 101,537 30,783 109,622 32,510 
			 2000 112,459 33,718 117,644 35,356 
			 2001 114,406 36,850 126,973 37,686 
			 2002 114,737 38,306 136,931 39,715 
			 2003 111,286 41,871 137,404 43,014 
			 2004 111,650 46,037 142,523 45,517 
			 2005 121,486 49,741 158,163 50,423 
			 2006 152,357 53,828 183,748 52,579 
			 2007 127,813 60,078 169,799 55,193 
			 2008 141,136 66,740 180,322 57,954 
		
	
	For technical reasons associated with EU enlargement, consistent figures are not available for trade in 1997 or for services trade in 1998. For some periods, trade in goods figures were affected by transactions associated with missing trader VAT fraud, most notably in the first half of 2006.
	No figures are available for the impact of the Rotterdam/Antwerp effect on statistics on UK trade with the Netherlands and Belgium compared with other countries; nor is it obvious how this affects statistics on trade with other EU countries compared with the rest of the world. HM Revenue and Customs regularly analyse asymmetries between UK trade statistics and those produced by other countries: in particular, in December 2005 they published a report called "Analysis of Asymmetries in intra-community trade statistics with particular regard to the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects" which can be found at:
	www.uktradeinfo.com/pagecontent/documents/edicom_rotterdam_effect_2005.pdf
	The ONS and HMRC keep the methodologies underlying trade statistics under review.

Exports: White Phosphorus

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Devizes of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 19W, on ammunition exports, to which companies the export licences were issued.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 1 June 2009
	 Export licence applications are made to the Government in confidence and, for that reason, the identities of the companies involved are not published.

Exports: White Phosphorus

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 19W, on ammunition: exports, whether any of the transfers listed in the Government's annual and quarterly strategic export control reports since 1999 were for military devices containing white phosphorus.

Ian Pearson: As previously stated BERR's Export Control Organisation has identified 67 licences that have been issued since March 1999 for munitions that, like white phosphorous munitions, are designed to create illumination or act as an incendiary. Because the export licence application does not require the exporter to provide the chemical composition of munitions to be exported, it is not possible to say how many—if any—of those 67 related to the export of military devices containing white phosphorous.

Manufacturing Industries: Motor Vehicles

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Statement of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-67, on the automotive industry, how many motor manufacturers have since received loan guarantees.

Ian Pearson: The Automotive Assistance Programme (AAP) received state aid clearance until 27 February. It opened for business on the same day. BERR held a seminar on 11 March to bring together industry, banks and the relevant trade bodies (including the SMMT) to make sure that the application process runs as smoothly and effectively as possible. No loan guarantees have yet been issued under the AAP, however we are in discussions with a number of companies who have expressed interest or made applications to the Programme.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Janet Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what arrangements his Department has made for the administration of the car scrappage scheme; what procedures are to be followed in deciding whether a car has been scrapped; and who will determine whether a car has been scrapped under the scheme.

Ian Pearson: Under the scheme, the onus on administration is placed with the manufacturers, using their existing relationships and systems for working with dealers. Dealers will be required to provide proof that the old vehicle has been scrapped in the form of a 'Certificate of Destruction' from an authorised treatment facility and will liaise with manufacturers on the paperwork. The manufacturers will then claim the money back from BERR. There will be a number of checks to ensure compliance with the scheme criteria and the scheme will be periodically and independently audited.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1406W, on motor vehicles: Government assistance, if his Department will provide assistance through the Automotive Assistance Programme to  (a) GM Motors , (b) Opel and  (c) Vauxhall.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 18 May 2009
	 We are in regular contact with GM, discussing a range of issues including how we can best continue to help the company in the UK. The access to AAP support by businesses such as  (a) GM Motors,  (b) Opel and  (c) Vauxhall would depend on theirs meeting the programme criteria.

Small Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government has taken to fund small business growth.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 On 14 January 2009 we launched the Real Help for Business measures to support businesses in the current economic climate, building upon the commitments we made in the pre-Budget report on 24 November 2008.
	The £1.3 billion Enterprise Finance Guarantee supports lending to viable businesses that would otherwise not be available. As of 13 May 2009, over £375 million of eligible applications from over 3,340 firms has been granted, being processed or assessed.
	With respect to the £75 million Capital for Enterprise equity scheme, the appointed fund managers have now made offers totalling around £6 million to four businesses and are continuing due diligence on the further proposals that have been put forward. The Working Capital Scheme, though not available directly to businesses, enables participating banks to increase the amount of working capital they can make available to businesses with a turnover of up to £500 million.
	We are also working with UK banks and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to maintain existing lending and make more credit available to SMEs. With the EIB, Government have helped UK banks to negotiate credit lines of more than £1 billion to provide loans to small and medium businesses. In addition the UK is the first country in the world to have negotiated legally binding lending commitments with banks receiving state support. RBS and Lloyds have committed to £39 billion of additional lending over the next 12 months; at least £6 billion of this is to SMEs. Both agreements are already in effect.
	Small and medium-sized businesses can find information and support at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp

Small Businesses: Bank Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of access to credit for small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1456W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Central (Mr. Sarwar).
	In relation to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, since its launch on 14 January, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has over £400 million of eligible applications from over 3,600 firms that have been granted, are being processed or assessed.

Visteon: Enfield

David Burrowes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department had discussions with Visteon UK Ltd  (a) before and  (b) after the closure of its plant in Enfield on the closure of that plant; what information his Department holds on redundancy and pension payments to former employees of that plant; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: BERR has been in contact with Visteon UK's management on a range of matters over a number of years, as the company has attempted to put its loss-making UK operations on a sound financial footing. BERR has received correspondence from Members of Parliament and others relating to the circumstances of UK Visteon plant closures which touch on redundancy and pensions matters and the issue was the subject of an Adjournment debate on 30 April. I am pleased to note that since the debate, the unions and Visteon Corporation have agreed a significantly improved redundancy package and that staff at the three Visteon UK plants voted overwhelmingly to accept it. I hope that the necessary payments can be made as soon as is possible to help those affected by the closures. The Department does not hold information on individuals.

Western Sahara: Overseas Trade

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 414W, on Morocco: overseas trade, what advice UK Trade and Investment has provided on Western Sahara.

Gareth Thomas: Some general advice on Western Sahara is contained in UK Trade and Investment's Portal pages on Morocco:
	https://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/
	No other advice has recently been given on Western Sahara.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder were issued in 2004; for what offences such penalties were issued; and what percentage of penalty notices for disorder were paid in each year.

Jack Straw: I have been asked to reply.
	We are not able to identify how many and the percentage of those penalty notices which remain unpaid after (a) six and (b) 12 months, as it is not possible to provide separate enforcement rates for unpaid PNDs once they have been registered as fines by the courts.
	Information held by the Ministry of Justice for the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued to persons in England and Wales aged 16 and over, by offence type, and the number paid within the suspended enforcement period, for the years 2004 to 2007 (latest available) are shown in the following tables 1 to 4.
	Under the PND Scheme, recipients have 21 days (the suspended enforcement period) in which either to pay the penalty or opt to have their case heard in court. If no action is taken a fine of one and half times the penalty amount is registered against the recipient.
	PND data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2004( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 1,171 512 44 362 31 150 13 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 117 52 44 36 31 16 14 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 44 18 41 15 34 3 7 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 28,790 14,306 50 10,240 36 4,066 14 
			 Throwing fireworks 177 89 50 72 41 17 10 
			 Drunk and disorderly 26,609 14,927 56 11,050 42 3,877 15 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 1,190 681 57 528 44 153 13 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 2,072 870 42 665 32 205 10 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 12 10 83 9 75 1 8 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 12 5 42 1 8 4 33 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 20 10 50 9 45 1 5 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 113 74 65 62 55 12 11 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 84 55 65 49 58 6 7 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 20 9 45 4 20 5 25 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 96 48 50 30 31 18 19 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 66 35 53 27 41 8 12 
			 Drunk in a highway 2,497 1,233 49 860 34 373 15 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 485 113 23 82 17 31 6 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 51 25 49 19 37 6 12 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 7 3 43 3 43 — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 6 3 50 3 50 — — 
			 All offences 63,639 33,078 52 24,126 38 8,952 14 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 579 49 15 1 32 3 30 3 3 0 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 58 50 2 2 5 4 — — — — 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 22 50 — — 2 5 1 2 1 2 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 13,125 46 205 1 666 2 366 1 122 0 
			 Throwing fireworks 80 45 1 1 6 3 1 1 — — 
			 Drunk and disorderly 11,035 41 109 0 346 1 144 1 48 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 481 40 5 0 14 1 5 0 4 0 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 1,128 54 13 1 30 1 12 1 19 1 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 2 17 — — — — — — — — 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 6 50 — — 1 8 — — — — 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 7 35 — — 2 10 1 5 — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 10 9 2 2 27 24 — — — — 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 21 25 — — 8 10 — — — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 10 50 — — — — — — 1 5 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 45 47 — — 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 25 38 — — 5 8 1 2 — — 
			 Drunk in a highway 1,166 47 6 0 75 3 9 0 8 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 349 72 2 0 15 3 4 1 2 0 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 25 49 — — 1 2 — — — — 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 4 57 — — — — — — — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 2 33 — — 1 17 — — — — 
			
			 All offences 28,180 44 360 1 1,237 2 575 1 209 0 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2005( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence code and description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 2,525 1,199 47 890 35 309 12 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 405 238 59 175 43 63 16 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 92 49 53 35 38 14 15 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 64,007 33,915 53 24,357 38 9,558 15 
			 Throwing fireworks 642 347 54 253 39 94 15 
			 Drunk and disorderly 37,038 20,862 56 15,420 42 5,442 15 
			 Sale of alcohol to under 18 2,058 1,805 88 1,460 71 345 17 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 170 106 62 82 48 24 14 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 for consumption on premises 83 59 71 48 58 11 13 
			 Delivery of alcohol to under 18 209 128 61 106 51 22 11 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 12,168 6,996 57 5,180 43 1,816 15 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 21,997 9,057 41 6,965 32 2,092 10 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 33 18 55 13 39 5 15 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 13 5 38 4 31 1 8 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 47 29 62 21 45 8 17 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 32 24 75 13 41 11 34 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 3 2 66 1 33 1 33 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 220 97 44 75 34 22 10 
			 Throwing stones at a train / railway 20 13 65 9 45 4 20 
			 Drunk in a highway 3,138 1,669 53 1,255 40 414 13 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 712 168 24 113 16 55 8 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 737 368 50 274 37 94 13 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on licensed premises 84 66 79 54 64 12 14 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol for under 18 27 14 52 9 33 5 19 
			 Buying alcohol by under 18 21 13 62 11 52 2 10 
			 
			 Total all offences 146,481 77,247 53 56,823 39 20,424 14 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence code and description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 1,161 46 41 2 50 2 44 2 30 1 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 140 35 7 2 10 2 7 2 3 1 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 38 41 2 2 — — 3 3 — — 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 26,754 42 706 1 1,251 2 808 1 573 1 
			 Throwing fireworks 271 42 6 1 8 1 6 1 4 1 
			 Drunk and disorderly 14,459 39 488 1 504 1 472 1 253 1 
			 Sale of alcohol to under 18 211 10 5 0 30 1 4 0 3 0 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 60 35 — — 2 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Purchasing alcohol for under 18 for consumption on premises 23 28 — — 1 1 — — — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to under 18 70 33 3 1 5 2 2 1 1 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 4,702 39 107 1 161 1 123 1 79 1 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 11,927 54 187 1 301 1 292 1 233 1 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 14 42 — — 1 3 — — — — 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 8 62 — — — — — — — — 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 15 32 1 2 1 2 — — 1 2 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 6 19 1 3 — — 1 3 — — 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 1 33 — — — — — — — — 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 115 52 — — 3 1 2 1 3 1 
			 Throwing stones at a train / railway 5 25 — — 1 5 1 5 — — 
			 Drunk in a highway 1,339 43 18 1 59 2 31 1 22 1 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 499 70 7 1 26 4 3 0 9 1 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 325 44 8 1 23 3 5 1 8 1 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on licensed premises 16 19 — — — — — — 2 2 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol for under 18 12 44 1 4 — — — — — — 
			 Buying alcohol by under 18 8 38 — — — — — — — — 
			
			 Total all offences 62,179 42 1,588 1 2,437 2 1,805 1 1,225 1 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2006( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 3,933 1,911 49 1,355 34 556 14 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 909 523 58 388 43 135 15 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 106 43 41 35 33 8 8 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 82,235 43,120 52 30,757 37 12,363 15 
			 Throwing fireworks 682 380 56 267 39 113 17 
			 Drunk and disorderly 43,556 24,673 57 18,123 42 6,550 15 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 20,620 11,351 55 8,342 40 3,009 15 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 38,772 16,169 42 12,370 32 3,799 10 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 53 34 64 27 51 7 13 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 28 12 43 9 32 3 11 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 76 51 67 34 45 17 22 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 47 35 74 29 62 6 13 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 60 53 88 41 68 12 20 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 3,195 2,756 86 2,354 74 402 13 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 407 268 66 213 52 55 14 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 60 39 65 35 58 4 7 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 297 176 59 132 44 44 15 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 1,042 551 53 320 31 231 22 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 15 6 40 5 33 1 7 
			 Drunk in a highway 2,712 1,433 53 1,064 39 369 14 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 1,061 252 24 165 16 87 8 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 1,169 593 51 427 37 166 14 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 75 55 73 46 61 9 12 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 14 10 71 10 71 — — 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 73 52 71 43 59 9 12 
			 
			 All offences 201,197 104,546 52 76,591 38 27,955 14 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 1,787 45 44 1 108 3 81 2 2 0 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 319 35 14 2 26 3 24 3 3 0 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 52 49 — — 6 6 5 5 — — 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 35,154 43 780 1 1,914 2 1,126 1 141 0 
			 Throwing fireworks 264 39 5 1 23 3 10 1 — — 
			 Drunk and disorderly 16,919 39 269 1 886 2 725 2 84 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 8,492 41 134 1 324 2 287 1 32 0 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 21,157 55 203 1 732 2 392 1 119 0 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 16 30 1 2 1 2 — — 1 2 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 15 54 — — — — — — 1 4 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 21 28 — — 3 4 1 1 — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 9 19 1 2 2 4 — — — — 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 7 12 — — — — — — — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 390 12 6 0 30 1 10 0 3 0 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 122 30 1 0 10 2 6 1 — — 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 20 33 — — — — 1 2 — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 99 33 3 1 14 5 3 1 2 1 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 463 44 2 0 19 2 6 1 1 0 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 6 40 — — 2 13 — — 1 7 
			 Drunk in a highway 1,158 43 7 0 94 3 16 1 4 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 749 71 7 1 45 4 6 1 2 0 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 536 46 3 0 26 2 10 1 1 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 17 23 — — 2 3 1 1 — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 4 29 — — — — — — — — 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 20 27 — — 1 1 — — — — 
			
			 All offences 87,796 44 1,480 1 4,268 2 2,710 1 397 0 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to all persons aged 16 and over, by Offence and Outcome, England and Wales 2007( 1) 
			  Of those paid 
			  Offence description  Number issued  Total paid in full  %  Paid in full within 21 days  %  Paid in full outside 21 days  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued
			 Wasting police time 3,966 1,862 47 1,384 35 478 12 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 1,193 670 56 526 44 144 12 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 96 55 57 38 40 17 18 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 77,827 40,357 52 30,761 40 9,596 12 
			 Throwing fireworks 649 374 58 290 45 84 13 
			 Drunk and disorderly 46,996 26,367 56 19,727 42 6,640 14 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 19,946 11,072 56 8,401 42 2,671 13 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 45,146 19,111 42 15,390 34 3,721 8 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 39 25 64 20 51 5 13 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 22 10 45 7 32 3 14 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 106 67 63 57 54 10 9 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 81 64 79 50 62 14 17 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 54 41 76 31 57 10 19 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 3,583 3,074 86 2,623 73 451 13 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 555 320 58 244 44 76 14 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 64 31 48 23 36 8 13 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 431 268 62 219 51 49 11 
			 
			  £50 Tickets issued
			 Trespass on a railway 1,527 780 51 441 29 339 22 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 25 13 52 11 44 2 8 
			 Drunk in a highway 2,066 1,146 55 942 46 204 10 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 1,544 328 21 259 17 69 4 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 1,374 705 51 541 39 164 12 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 85 67 79 55 65 12 14 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 11 9 82 8 73 1 9 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 158 109 69 85 54 24 15 
			 
			 All offences 207,544 106,925 52 82,133 40 24,792 12 
		
	
	
		
			   Other outcomes 
			  Offence description  Fine registered  %  Court hearing requested  %  PND cancelled  %  Potential prosecution  %  Outcome unknown  % 
			  £80 Tickets issued   
			 Wasting police time 1,807 46 34 1 122 3 140 4 1 0 
			 Misuse of public telecommunications system 431 36 17 1 43 4 32 3 — — 
			 Giving false alarm to fire and rescue authority 37 39 — — 3 3 1 1 — — 
			 Causing Harassment, alarm or distress 33,021 42 626 1 2,210 3 1,577 2 36 0 
			 Throwing fireworks 223 34 9 1 30 5 13 2 — — 
			 Drunk and disorderly 18,161 39 244 1 1,038 2 1,177 3 9 0 
			 Criminal Damage (under £500) 7,979 40 112 1 384 2 393 2 6 0 
			 Theft (retail under £200) 24,344 54 172 0 988 2 507 1 24 0 
			 Breach of fireworks curfew 13 33 — — 1 3 — — — — 
			 Possession of category 4 firework 10 45 — — 2 9 — — — — 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework 31 29 1 1 5 5 2 2 — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to drunken person 9 11 3 4 2 2 3 4 — — 
			 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 11 20 1 2 1 2 — — — — 
			 Sale of alcohol to person under 18 405 11 13 0 69 2 22 1 — — 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 211 38 4 1 14 3 5 1 1 0 
			 Purchase alcohol for person under 18 for consumption on premises 22 34 — — 10 16 1 2 — — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery 138 32 1 0 19 4 5 1 — — 
			
			  £50 Tickets issued   
			 Trespass on a railway 675 44 — — 45 3 26 2 1 0 
			 Throwing stones at a train/railway 10 40 — — 2 8 — — — — 
			 Drunk in a highway 788 38 8 0 94 5 30 1 — — 
			 Consumption of alcohol in public place 1,090 71 6 0 87 6 32 2 1 0 
			 Depositing and leaving litter 589 43 2 0 64 5 13 1 1 0 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 16 19 — — 2 2 — — — — 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 on relevant premises 1 9 — — 1 9 — — — — 
			 Buying or Attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 35 22 — — 13 8 1 1 — — 
			
			 All offences 90,057 43 1,253 1 5,249 3 3,980 2 80 0 
			 — = nil. (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence & Analysis unit.

Armed Forces: Foreigners

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-UK nationals of each nationality who had served in the armed forces have acquired UK citizenship in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: A person's employment details are not recorded on the UK Border Agency's computer database as part of a citizenship application. As such, the information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Iraq

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi citizens settled in the UK in each year of the Gateway Protection Programme.

Phil Woolas: The UK's refugee resettlement programme, the Gateway Protection Programme, has made provision for a total of 1,000 Iraqi nationals to be resettled to the UK between 1 April 2008 and end March 2010.
	In 2008, 236 Iraqi nationals were resettled to the UK through the Gateway Protection Programme. As of 18 May 2009, 212 Iraqi nationals have been resettled to the UK through the Gateway Protection Programme in 2009.

Borders: Enforcement

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many enforcement visits the UK Border Agency made in each year since 2005; how many arrests were made in the course of such visits; and how many such visits resulted in no arrests being made.

Jacqui Smith: The records held by the UK Border Agency break down these figures by financial year rather than by calendar year and are provided in the following table.
	These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.
	The UK Border Agency adopts an intelligence and target led approach to operations and our top priority has been to protect the public and remove from the UK the most harmful people first. Based on UK Border Agency management information 5,395 foreign national prisoners were removed in 2008—exceeding our target of 5,000.
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Number of enforcement visits 11,861 14,443 15,512 13,555 
			 Number of arrests made 12,412 11,522 10,750 10,063 
			 Visits with no arrests 6,976 8,793 9,975 8,362

Demonstrations: Kingsnorth

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2008,  Official Report, column 810, when she expects to receive the report of the National Policing Improvement Agency on the policing of the Kingsnorth climate camp; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the Association of Chief Police Officers are overseeing a review that has been commissioned by the chief constable of Kent into the policing of the 'Climate Camp for Change' at Kingsnorth. This follows a debrief on the operation provided to Kent police by the NPIA in January 2009.
	The review is due to report in June and wider circulation of any findings and learning points will be considered at that stage.

DNA: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the age is of the youngest person  (a) whose DNA is retained and  (b) whose profile is held on the national DNA database;
	(2)  what steps she has taken to ensure that  (a) DNA samples of children aged under 10 years have been destroyed and  (b) DNA profiles of children aged under 10 years have been removed from the national DNA database.

Alan Campbell: The Home Secretary announced on 16 December 2008 that the DNA profiles of all children aged under 10 (taken by England and Wales police forces) would be removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD). The removal of these profiles has now been completed. The youngest person whose DNA profile is held on the NDNAD (and who had their DNA sample taken by a force in England and Wales) is aged 10.
	A DNA sample may only be taken from a child under 10 with the consent of a parent or guardian. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, (PACE), as amended, provides that such samples taken voluntarily must be destroyed once they have fulfilled the purpose for which they were taken. The youngest person whose DNA sample has been retained, but not profiled on the NDNAD, is aged under one.

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1236W, on genetics: databases, how many and what proportion of people with profiles on the national DNA database were recorded on the Police National Computer as having a conviction in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what her most recent estimate is of the number and proportion of people with profiles on the national DNA database who are recorded on the Police National Computer as having a conviction; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) is designed to match DNA taken from crime scenes with that taken from individuals. It does not hold information on whether those with records on it have convictions, as this is not necessary for this purpose. It is therefore not possible to provide information on the number and proportion of people on the NDNAD who were recorded as having a conviction on the Police National Computer (PNC) in each of the last 10 years. Some data on whether those on the NDNAD have convictions are available from PNC, but not as part of its routine functions and not within the cost limit for parliamentary questions. However, the National Policing Improvement Agency does obtain this information periodically.
	The most recent figures available for England and Wales show that at 24 April 2009 there were an estimated 4,587,430 persons on the NDNAD, of whom 79 per cent. (an estimated 3,601,245 persons) had a current conviction, caution, formal warning or reprimand recorded on PNC. The remaining 21 per cent. (an estimated 986,185 persons) includes those people who have been convicted and have had their records deleted, and those against whom proceedings are still ongoing, as well as those who have never been convicted.

Domestic Violence: Departmental Co-ordination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution  (a) the Department of Health and  (b) the Department for Children, Schools and Families made to the preparation of her Department's consultation paper, Together we can end violence against women and children.

Alan Campbell: The Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families liaised closely with the Home Office to prepare the cross-Government consultation paper entitled "Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls". Both Departments are part of the cross-Government steering group for Violence Against Women and Girls which met regularly in the run-up to consultation launch.

Employment Tribunals Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many actions under employment law were brought against her Department in each of the last three years, broken down by category of action; and how many were contested by the Department at an employment tribunal.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 14 May 2009
	Details of claims brought under employment law in each of the last three years against the Home Office, including the UK Border Agency and the Criminal Records Bureau, is shown in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Employment tribunal claims brought against Home Office HQ, UKBA and CRB 
			  Category of claim  2006-07( 1)  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Age discrimination (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 Disability discrimination 9 15 17 
			 Race discrimination 4 7 10 
			 Sex discrimination 5 10 8 
			 Sexual orientation 2 0 (2)— 
			 Unfair/Constructive dismissal 31 35 28 
			 Unlawful deduction of wages 5 6 10 
			 Religion of belief 0 (2)— (2)— 
			 Victimisation 0 (2)— (2)— 
			 Redundancy payment 0 0 (2)— 
			 Less favourable treatment under fixed term employee regulations (2)— 0 0 
			 Loss of earnings 0 0 (2)— 
			 Equal pay (2)— 0 0 
			 Other(3) (2)— 0 (2)— 
			 
			 Total employment tribunal claims 60 77 82 
			 Total contested at an employment tribunal hearing 14 18 58 
			 (1) Information includes any claims made by former Home Office staff who transferred to the Ministry of Justice on 1 May 2007.  (2) Less than 5.  (3) Nature of claim unavailable.   Notes:  1. Where more than one category of claim was cited on the claim, the claim has been counted once in the table using the primary reason for the claim.  2. Where less than five claims were made under a category, further information is withheld on grounds of confidentiality. 
		
	
	The Identity and Passport Service does not centrally hold the information requested, which could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

European Network for the Protection of Public Figures

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution the UK makes in the European Network for the Protection of Public Figures.

Vernon Coaker: The UK has played a full role in the work of the European Network since its inception in 2002.

Europol

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions UK police forces have participated in Europol operations in the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Europol does not conduct operations in any country. It exists to support investigations carried out by law enforcement authorities in the member states by facilitating the exchange of information and collating and analysing information and intelligence in relation to those investigations.

Europol

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which aspects of the Europol system the UK participates.

Vernon Coaker: The United Kingdom is a significant participant in all intelligence aspects of Europol. Our liaison bureau at Europol, which is one of the largest, is responsible for handling the exchange of information between Europol and the United Kingdom Europol National Unit, which is based at the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. The UK liaison bureau also manages bilateral exchanges and cooperation between other member state liaison bureaux. The United Kingdom has a record of providing high quality data to the Europol Information System and is a major contributor to Europol's programme of 'serious crime analysis work files'.

Europol

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what crimes Europol may investigate; and on what legal basis in each case.

Alan Campbell: Europol was established by a convention based on article K.3 of the treaty on European Union. It does not carry out criminal investigations in its own right but operates to improve the effectiveness and co-operation of the competent authorities in the member states in preventing and combating terrorism and other forms of serious crime. Specifically, Europol's competence covers illegal money laundering activity, and preventing and combating terrorism, drug trafficking and other serious forms of international crime when there are indications that an organised criminal structure is at work and when two or more member states are affected by the criminality in question in such a way as to require a common approach by the member states involved.

Extradition: USA

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British nationals in respect of whom legal proceedings have been concluded have been extradited to the United States since 1 January 2004; and for which offence each such individual was extradited.

Vernon Coaker: Between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2008, 28 UK nationals arrested in England and Wales were extradited to the USA, for offences broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Type of offence  Number of cases 
			 Drugs 10 
			 Fraud 8 
			 Murder 3 
			 Sexual offences 2 
			 Theft 2 
			 Grievous bodily harm 1 
			 Money laundering 1 
			 Forgery 1 
		
	
	The figures do not include the number of UK nationals extradited to the USA who were arrested in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Female Genital Mutilation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account her Department takes of the risk of female genital mutilation in women's country of origin when assessing their asylum claims.

Phil Woolas: All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the UK's obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The consideration of a claim includes where relevant, any fear of genital mutilation that may be raised by the applicant.
	When fear of genital mutilation forms part of the claim, consideration is given to whether there is evidence that this practice is knowingly tolerated by the authorities in the country of origin, or whether they are unable to offer protection, and whether there is a reasonable possibility of the applicant avoiding the threat for example by moving elsewhere in the country.

Foreign Workers: Health Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses from each country of origin have been granted residency in the UK for each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: A foreign national is deemed to have been granted residency when he or she has been granted Leave to Enter (LTE) the UK for more than six months. Prior entry clearance is mandatory for all persons seeking LTE for such a period. Before the phased introduction of the Points Based System in 2008, foreign national doctors and nurses who were qualified to practise in the UK were required to apply for entry clearance as work permit holders. Data held centrally about such entry clearance applications do not include the applicant's profession. We could therefore only provide the information requested by searching individual records, which would be at disproportionate cost.

House of Commons: Right of Search

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Essex of 10 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1830W, on the House of Commons: right of search, what consideration she has given to  (a) obtaining and  (b) placing in the Library a copy of the final report of the review conducted by Chief Constable Ian Johnston of the British Transport Police on the arrest and investigation of the hon. Member for Ashford since the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to bring charges in the case; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The report is a matter for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and I have no plans to call for a copy of it.

Human Trafficking

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those arrested in relation to Operation Greensea in respect of whom legal proceedings have been completed were  (a) convicted and  (b) deported.

Alan Campbell: The information is as follows:
	 (a) On 31 January 2008, 12 individuals were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration into the United Kingdom as a result of Operation Greensea. Of these 12, six have been convicted, three are currently on trial, and the others have been released or have been charged with separate offences.
	Subsequently, three additional men were arrested in relation to Operation Greensea, and are also on trial.
	 (b) The UK Border Agency is committed to ensuring that it removes those foreign nationals who pose a risk of harm to our society. Our objective is that foreign national prisoners should face deportation when they meet the relevant criteria and that deportation should happen as early as possible in their sentence.
	In 2008, the agency deported or removed 5,395 foreign national prisoners, exceeding the Government set target. As confirmed in its 2009-10 business plan, the UK Border Agency will continue to deport or remove record numbers of foreign criminals.

Identity Cards

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the outstanding cost to the public purse of the introduction of the National Identity Card Scheme.

Phil Woolas: The May 2009 Cost Report details our current estimated costs for the National Identity Service at:
	http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/downloads/docA_IPS_cost_reportpercent202009_v11_BM.pdf
	The estimated total resource costs for providing passports and identity cards to British and Irish citizens resident in the UK for the time period April 2009 to April 2019 is £4,945 million. This figure includes the current costs of operating the passport service, the incremental costs of improving the integrity of the passport and the costs of identity cards. It does not reflect the fee income which will be generated from both passports and identity cards to fund the operational cost of the National Identity Service.

Illegal Immigrants

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the factual basis is for the Minister for Borders and Immigration's statement in his answer on 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1192, on illegal immigrants, that the trend of removals is significantly up.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The following table shows the total number of removals and voluntary departures in each year between 2005 and 2008:
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1, 2, ) January 2005 to December 2008 
			  Number( 3) 
			   2005  2006  2007( 4)  2008( 4) 
			 Total removals and voluntary departures 58,215 63,865 63,365 66,275 
			 Change compared to previous year (percentage) — 10 -1 5 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.  (2 )Includes persons departing voluntarily after notifying the UK Border Agency of their intention to leave prior to their departure, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and since January 2005 persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. Statistics from 2005 onwards are not directly comparable with earlier years.  (3) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken.  (4) Provisional figures. 
		
	
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Illegal Immigrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were detained at their point of entry to the UK in the last month for which figures are available; and how many of them admitted they were entering the country illegally.

Phil Woolas: In April 2009, 767 people were recorded at ports as having illegally entered the UK. In such cases, passengers are initially detained at the Point of Entry.
	The data provided are based on locally-collated management information, which may be subject to change and do not represent published national statistics.
	The UK Border Agency does not routinely record whether an illegal entrant admits they were attempting to enter the UK illegally.

Immigration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken by the UK Border Agency to process an application for indefinite leave to remain was in the latest period for which information is available.

Phil Woolas: The average time taken by the UK Border Agency to process an application for indefinite leave to remain for the period 1 April-30 April 2009 was three months.
	Data relate to lead applicants only.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information. They therefore provisional and subject to change.
	 Source:
	UKBA Case Information Database.

Immigration

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the letter of 14 January 2009 from the Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency to the hon. Member for Wellingborough regarding Mr. Nicholas Mazordze, what steps were taken to resolve the case within 14 days of the date of that letter; and with reference to the letter of 5 May 2009 from the Minister of State to the hon. Member for Wellingborough also regarding Mr. Mazordze, what steps were taken to resolve the case within two weeks of the date of that letter.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency provides regularly updates on the progress taken in deporting foreign national criminals. However, she is unable to comment on individual cases raised in a parliamentary question.

Immigration: Children

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department plans to develop community-based alternatives to detention for children subject to immigration control.

Phil Woolas: The Government are exploring alternative options to detention of children to ensure the removal of those families who refuse to leave the country voluntarily when they no longer have a legal right to be here.
	A new pilot project to encourage refused asylum seeker families in Glasgow to return voluntarily to their home country is to start at the beginning of June. The pilot is a partnership between Glasgow City Council, the UK Border Agency and the Scottish Government.

Independent Police Complaints Commission: Manpower

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the turnover rate of staff of each grade employed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission was in each year since its creation;
	(2)  how many employees of each  (a) sex and  (b) age (i) entered and (ii) left employment of the Independent Police Complaints Commission in each year since its creation.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not hold the information requested as these are matters primarily for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in fulfilling its statutory functions under the Police Reform Act 2002. The IPCC will respond to the hon. Member direct.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 11 February 2009, with regard to Ms A. Dar.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 20 April 2009.

Olympic Games 2012: Security

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of police officers required to police the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office is committed to making the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games safe and secure. On 25 February the Government approved a 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Safety and Security Strategy and accompanying 2012 National Concept of Operations.
	Delivering the strategy will require the deployment of substantial numbers of police officers additional to normal day to day requirements. We are working with police forces and the Association of Chief Police Officers to refine this requirement. We cannot give a definitive estimate at this stage in the planning, which will always also need to remain flexible to changes in the risks the games face. At peak times of the games we currently anticipate deployment to be broadly similar to events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, which last year involved some 11,000 tours of duty by Metropolitan Police officers over the bank holiday weekend.
	Planning decisions on police numbers will need to take into account both the operational requirement and the need to demonstrate affordability and value for money within the overall £600 million funding envelope. These decisions will be consistent with the risk-based and intelligence-led approach set out in our strategy.

Police Community Support Officers: Costs

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much police community support officers cost in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not collect this information but makes an annual contribution towards the cost of Police Community Support Officer (PCSOs) as part of the specific grant payable to police authorities in England and Wales for Neighbourhood Policing. For 2009-10 the grant will amount to £332 million in total, of which £294 million is specifically provided to support the costs of PCSOs.
	Information gathered independently of the Home Office and published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) indicates that for 2007-08, the cost of salaries, allowances and national insurance for PCSOs in England and Wales was £417 million.

Police: Complaints

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Independent Police Complaints Commission has the power to investigate complaints about alleged unlawful conduct by serving police officers.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 1 June 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 863W.

Police: Databases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to validate the accuracy of data entered on the  (a) Police National Computer and  (b) PentiP computer system.

Vernon Coaker: Data are entered on to the Police National Computer (PNC) by the police service and a number of other authorised agencies for specific purposes relating to law enforcement. Data quality are managed via:
	A statutory code of practice, 'The Police National Computer'
	PNC Code of Connection
	PNC Manual
	In addition, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary inspects police forces' use of the PNC.
	The PentiP system has yet to be delivered.

Police: G20

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest estimate is of the cost of policing the G20 summit in April 2009; and how much of this cost was incurred in undertaking public order policing relating to demonstrations.

Vernon Coaker: The Metropolitan Police Service inform me that the current estimate of the cost of policing the G20 summit is £7.5 million. It is not possible at this stage to disaggregate the public order costs from the total costs of the operation.

Police: Retirement

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers who retired from police forces at the rank of  (a) assistant chief constable and above and  (b) assistant commissioner and above and who are in receipt of a police pension are employed in authorities and agencies for which she is responsible.

Vernon Coaker: Information in respect of Home Office headquarters and Executive Agencies is not held centrally. Home Office sponsored non-departmental public bodies employ a total of 10 former police officers who retired at the rank of assistant chief constable and above or at assistant commissioner and above or at equivalent ranks. It is not recorded whether these employees are in receipt of a police pension.

Police: Stun Guns

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces made requests before November 2008 to her Department to fund the purchase of Tasers.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office routinely discusses police funding issues, including Taser, with individual forces, the Association of Chief Police Officers and police staff associations.

Schengen Agreement

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which aspects of the Schengen system the UK participates.

Vernon Coaker: The UK participates in the police and judicial co-operation aspects of the Schengen acquis in accordance with the European Union Council Decision of 29 May 2000 concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (2000/365/EC). The UK does not participate in the provisions of the Schengen acquis relating to visas and borders, having taken the decision that we wished to maintain our own frontier controls.

Smuggling: Heathrow Airport

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of travellers using Heathrow airport were stopped and searched by HM Revenue and Customs in 2008; how many of those were found to be smuggling; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: During 2008, responsibility for searching passengers moved to the UK Border Agency. Location specific statistics are not published as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.
	National Statistics regarding Search of Person are outlined on page 47 of the HMRC autumn report which can be found at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/autumn-report-2008

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to paragraph 9.09 of the UK's Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, published in March 2009, what the cost of the key deliverables in the Prevent Delivery Plan  (a) has been in each year since 2003 and  (b) is expected to be in 2009-10.

Vernon Coaker: Prior to 2008-09 the Home Office did not collate financial data on the cost of key deliverables in the Prevent Delivery Plan.
	The cost of Prevent key deliverables during 2008-09 was estimated at £157 million. This is an estimate which was provided at the beginning of the financial year, and may not reflect actual spend. The delivery plan only contains the estimated cost of key deliverables and does not represent total spending on Prevent.
	The key deliverables for 2009-10 are still in development, with spend currently estimated at £81 million.

Terrorism: Internet

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 156W, on community relations: internet, what material has been classified by her Department as unlawful under the Terrorism Act 2006 to date; and what routine discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on such classifications.

Vernon Coaker: The material concerned is that which may be unlawful under sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
	No discussions have been held with the European Commission specifically on this matter. Use of the internet for radicalisation to violent extremism in Europe is the subject of ongoing Commission-supported discussions.

Terrorism: Internet

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers her Department has to  (a) order the closure of websites hosted in the UK which display material considered by her Department to be unlawful under the Terrorism Act 2006 and  (b) to restrict the activities of owners of such sites.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office has no such powers. Under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 a police constable may issue a notice to an internet service provider that requires unlawful terrorism-related material to be removed or modified within two working days. Failure to do so is not an offence in itself but removes the defence of non-endorsement to charges under sections 1 and 2 of the Act.
	Owners of websites containing unlawful material may commit offences under sections l or 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006 (publishing a statement that encourages others directly or indirectly to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, or dissemination of terrorist publications).

Vetting

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requirements there are on the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for completion of a CRB check within a specified period of time; and what the average time taken to complete such a check was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) operates to a set of published service standards (PSS) which include issuing 90 per cent. of Standard Disclosures within 10 days and 90 per cent. of Enhanced Disclosures within 28 days.
	Data concerning the average time taken to complete a Disclosure are not a performance target and are not collated by the CRB. Average figures do not give an accurate indication of performance, since any force's performance can be affected by a number of factors, including the volume of cases sent to a force to process in any given month, the number of staff available to process the checks and the IT resources on hand to forces. With these variables, performance can fluctuate within individual forces from one month to the next.
	Between April 2008 and March 2009 the CRB issued 396,000 Standard Disclosures and 3,459,000 Enhanced Disclosures. During this period the CRB exceeded its targets for Standard Disclosures with a cumulative total of 99.1 per cent. issued within 10 days but did not meet PSS for Enhanced Disclosures, issuing 88.6 per cent. within 28 days. The principal reason for this has been the high volume of Disclosures that have been presented for processing. This has put a great deal of pressure on the police Disclosure Units involved in the processing of Enhanced Disclosures.
	An improvement plan has been initiated aimed at reducing the volume of outstanding work at police forces and number of aged cases, which are those applications that have been outstanding for longer than 25 days. This improvement plan has contributed towards a steady decline in the number of these cases over recent months.
	There are a number of other factors which can affect the timely completion of checks, including but not restricted to the length of time it can take for an employer to deal with the initial application; the accurate completion of the Disclosure application form; the clarity of the information provided and the existence of conviction or non-conviction information.
	To explain further, Enhanced Disclosures must include any local police force information which, in the chief officer's opinion, might be relevant to the application and ought to be included in the Disclosure. Such decisions must balance the need to protect a person's right to privacy with the need to protect the public from potential harm and therefore require careful consideration. Consequently, some applications can take longer to deal with.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Departmental Security

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many breaches of security have been reported at the  (a) National Weights and Measures Laboratory and  (b) UK Intellectual Property Office in the last five years; and what procedures each agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data.

David Lammy: The National Measurement Office (previously the National Weights and Measures Laboratory) has had no breaches of security reported in the last five years.
	If a breach of security involving disclosure of personal data were to occur, the National Measurement Office has procedures in place to deal with the consequences, developed with the Department, that reflect current Cabinet Office guidance and standards.

Higher Education: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what discussions he has had with the Higher Education Funding Council for England on financial penalties for higher education institutions that over-recruit for the 2009-10 academic year; and when information on such penalties will be provided to higher education institutions.

David Lammy: This is not a question of imposing financial penalties, but rather of ensuring the quality of the student experience and providing student support to all those who need it. If universities over-recruit, both of these objectives are put at risk. The Secretary of State wrote to HEFCE on 29 October setting out his plans for additional student numbers in 2009/10 and asking the Council to minimise and preferably eliminate over-recruitment by HE Institutions in that year. HEFCE wrote to institutions on 10 November 2008, asking them to review their recruitment plans for the following year. We have said that any over recruitment in the coming year could result in a transfer of HEFCE grant back to this Department in that or future years. HEFCE will pass this transfer on to over-recruiting universities according to the extent of their over recruitment.

Natural Environment Research Council: Shipping

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many ships and boats have been  (a) owned,  (b) leased and  (c) hired by or on behalf of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in each of the last three financial years; how many operational days each of those vessels has spent at sea at the NERC's expense; and how much the NERC spent on purchasing, hiring and leasing such vessels in each such year.

David Lammy: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) owns, leases and hires a number of vessels. These vessels are used for a number of purposes, including, for example, taking samples from lakes, and monitoring/surveying coastal areas. Data for ships (defined as a vessel above 40 tonnes and 40 feet in length) are provided in the following table.
	Hire of smaller boats for activities such as lake sampling are arranged locally under NERC purchasing guidelines on best value for money but the information is not held centrally by NERC.
	
		
			Operational Days( 1)  Cost of  purchasing, hiring or leasing (£ 000) 
			  Ship name   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 RRS James Cook(2) Owned (3)314 (3)557 (3)413 0 0 0 
			 RRS Discovery(2) Owned (3)— (3)— (3)— 0 0 0 
			 RRS James Clark Ross(4) Owned 294 336 267 0 0 0 
			 RRS Ernest Shackleton(4) Leased(5) 329 321 309 (6)3,322 (6)3,364 (6)3,356 
			 RV Prince Madog(7) Hired 78 95 54 n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1) Data from NERC's Ship Management Review, which reported to NERC Council in February 2009. A breakdown on days on Cook/Discovery was not recorded. (2) Operated by the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS). RRS James Cook came into service in September 2006. (3) Denotes brace (4) Operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). (5) Under a PFI arrangement. (6) Includes insurance costs. (7) The RV Prince Madog is a recognised NERC facility operated by VT Ocean Sciences and is available to the NERC community on a 'pay-as-you-go' basis. NERC has no record of the precise costs, which are negotiated between scientists and the RV Madog operator within limits defined within research grants. The basic charter day rate cost is likely to have been in the region of £5,000 per day during this period. 
		
	
	As well as owning, leasing and hiring a number of boats and ships, NERC also has barter arrangements with other international operators of ocean-going research ships, which allows for NERC to use its partners' research ships. These barter arrangements allow for the barter exchange of ship-time between partners without there being any transfer of money. In the calendar years 2006, 2007 and 2008, NERC used its barter arrangements to secure 118 days, four days, 72 days, respectively, of ship-time on its barter partners' research ships. More information on the European barter arrangements can be found at:
	http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/ofeg/pages/ofeg/index.php

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan and Iraq

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure his Department has incurred in  (a) Afghanistan since 2001 and  (b) Iraq since 2003; how much his Department has paid to private security companies for services provided in each year in (i) Afghanistan since 2001 and (ii) Iraq since 2003; and what the monetary value of each contract his Department has with private security companies in each such country is.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 14 May 2009
	Calculating the total Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure incurred in Afghanistan since 2001 and in Iraq since 2003 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The amount the FCO has paid to private security companies for services in Afghanistan and Iraq is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Iraq  
			 2003-04 16.8 
			 2004-05 49.5 
			 2005-06 47.8 
			 2006-07 30.4 
			 2007-08 26.0 
			 2008-09 29.02 
			  Afghanistan  
			 2004 4.0 
			 2005 4.0 
			 2006 15.0 
			 2007 19.6 
			 2008-09 18.54 
		
	
	The value of each private security contract for 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			  Company  Purpose  Period  Value (£) 
			  Iraq
			 Control Risks Mobile Security July 2008 to June 2009 20,997,006 
			 GardaWorld Static Security July 2008 to June 2009 5,743,464 
			 Minimal Risks Intelligence Analysts October 2007 to September 2008 867,475 
			 Armor Group Vehicle Maintenance February 2009 to February 1010 378,153 
			 Minimal Risks Overseas Security Managers(1) April 2008 to March 2009 1,035,192 
			 
			  Afghanistan
			 Armor Group Mobile Security April 2008 to March 2009 12,836,451 
			 Armor Group Static Security April 2008 to March 2009 4,702,461 
			 Armor Group Vehicle Maintenance April 2008 to March 2009 251,787 
			 Armor Group Police Mentors and Advisers April 2008 to March 2009 317,530 
			 Edinburgh International Primary Healthcare January to December 2008 361,162 
			 Minimal Risks Intelligence Advisers November 2008 to March 2009 74,706 
			 (1) Iraq and Afghanistan combined 
		
	
	The information above covers contracts put in place by the FCO in London with private security companies, and reflects the contract values concerned and not the actual spend.

Afghanistan and Iraq

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what allowances in addition to basic salary are paid to civilian employees of his Department working in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) pays the following financial allowances to those of its staff who are UK civil servants serving in Iraq or Afghanistan in addition to basic salary:
	Cost of Living Addition (COLA)—compensation for the extra costs of maintaining a UK standard of living at post.
	Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance (DSCA)—compensation for the extra cost of living in a difficult, isolated, dangerous or unhealthy location, for the disruption cause by a global mobility obligation and for representational expenses.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress made in securing Afghanistan's democratic future in the last six months.

Bill Rammell: With UK and international support, significant developments have been made in strengthening Afghan democracy since 2001. Our funding has been used to help strengthen institutions, finance the electoral process and build Afghan civil society and political participation. Notable achievements since 2001 include nationwide democratic presidential and parliamentary elections and the ratification of a new constitution.
	We have already given £16.5 million to support the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to prepare for the presidential and provincial council elections that will be held on 20 August 2009. Parliamentary and district council elections are due in 2010. International funding and support for the 2009-10 elections is being co-ordinated by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) as part of its Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT) project.
	UK financial support is complemented by ongoing political engagement by British Ministers and embassy officials—encouraging change; raising concerns with the Afghan Government; lobbying internationally for support; and working through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's International Security Assistance Force to support thorough Afghan-led security for the elections.
	Voter registration, which started in October 2008, has now been completed by the IEC across Afghanistan. We are pleased the process went according to plan, with over 4 million new names being added to the existing voter registry. The fact that the insurgents failed to disrupt the process is a credit to all involved, particularly the Afghan National Security Forces.
	Candidate registration for Afghanistan's 2009 presidential elections closed on 8 May 2009. 44 candidates registered in total, including two women. The next stage involves the Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) investigating any challenges to these candidates. The ECC will receive complaints between 16 and 21 May 2009, and after making their investigations, they will notify the IEC if any candidates have been disqualified.
	For a more detailed overview of the evolution of the current Afghan political system, and examples of what the UK is doing to improve governance across the country, please see the following link to the recent Foreign and Commonwealth Office memorandum of evidence; submitted to the Foreign Affairs Committee as part of their global security inquiry into Afghanistan:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmfaff/memo/afghanistan/ucgs0402.htm
	For more information on the IEC, including legal and technical details regarding the electoral process and lists of candidates, see:
	http://www.iec.org.af/engDefault.asp
	More information on the UNDP's ELECT project can be found at:
	http://www.undp.org.af/WhoWeAre/UNDPinAfghanistan/Projects/dcse/pri_elect.htm

Arms Control: Nuclear Weapons

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the proposals of the US delegation to the preparatory committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York on 5 May 2009 in respect of a fissile material cut-off treaty.

Bill Rammell: We welcome the proposals made by the US delegation at this year's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee in support of a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT).
	The UK believes that an FMCT is essential for multilateral nuclear disarmament, and is one of the six steps that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary identified as necessary in order to achieve the conditions needed to help achieve a world free of nuclear weapons at the launch of the 'Lifting the nuclear shadow' policy information paper on 4 February 2009.
	It is our hope that the Conference on Disarmament will soon adopt a Programme of Work which will include the start of negotiations on an FMCT.

Caribbean: Prisons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of prison provision in UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean.

Gillian Merron: Each of the five Caribbean overseas territories (OTs) and Bermuda has at least one prison, with Bermuda and Cayman also having completely separate prisons for females. The majority of the prisons were built in the last 10-15 years (in most cases with Government assistance) to replace outdated facilities not fit for purpose. A senior manager, seconded from HM Prison Service, is based in the region to advise and support local officials on prison management and wider criminal justice issues. In addition, each prison has an independent and voluntary monitoring body working within it in order to monitor and report on conditions, and to raise any issues of concern.
	The OT prison services are moving towards a focus on rehabilitation, with the recruitment of specialists to support that approach. With smaller prison and local populations, the early indicators are that these efforts are having more success than larger prison systems elsewhere are able to achieve.

Departmental Official Cars

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the flag vehicles his Department has procured for official use  (a) in the UK and  (b) at diplomatic posts overseas were not made in Britain.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently operates no flag vehicles for official use in the UK and 172 overseas. It is not possible to ascertain how many of these vehicles were not made in Britain without incurring disproportionate cost as records detailing the country of manufacture are not held centrally.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to (i) all staff and (ii) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), FCO Services (Trading Fund), and Wilton Park (Executive agency) made non-consolidated performance-related variable payments totalling £7,214,259 to 4,722 staff in 2008 to reward performance in 2007-08.
	Within this total we paid £2,435,100 in non-consolidated performance-related payments to 288 staff in the senior management structure/senior civil service. Almost 30 per cent. of FCO staff in the senior management structure received no performance related variable pay in 2008.
	All three organisations use the same payroll and pay moderation process. To separate the payments made by each Department/agency would incur disproportionate cost.

Economic Situation

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) operating arrangements and  (b) objectives have been established for the early warning system his Department has initiated to monitor economies at risk of suffering political and social unrest; and which countries are under observation.

Gillian Merron: Ongoing assessment of political, social and economic conditions in countries around the world is central to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) pursuit of its departmental strategic objectives. The diplomatic reporting from the FCO's global network is a key part of this assessment. In response to the global economic crisis, the FCO has enhanced its reporting and analysis of the impact of economic turbulence upon worldwide political and social conditions, and on emerging risks. The FCO looks at all countries as part of this process.

Egypt: Prisoners

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the arrest by the Egyptian authorities of 49 people allegedly linked to a cell assigned by Hezbollah for the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks in Egypt.

Bill Rammell: In April 2009, the Egyptian authorities announced that they had arrested a group of people with alleged links to a Hezbollah cell. The cell is reported to have been made up of 49 people of various nationalities, including Egyptians, Lebanese and Palestinians. The Egyptian authorities have confirmed that none of the suspects are British nationals.
	The Egyptian authorities allege that the cell was established by Hezbollah with the aim of attacking targets inside Egypt, including Israeli tourists and ships passing through the Suez Canal.

Egypt: Prisoners

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions  (a) he has and  (b) his officials have had with the Egyptian government on the recent arrest of 49 people allegedly linked to a cell assigned by Hezbollah.

Bill Rammell: I discussed the Hezbollah case with the Egyptian ambassador in London on 22 April 2009. I also raised it during my visit to Cairo on 20-21 May 2009 with the Egyptian Minister for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs, Dr. Moufied Shehab.
	Officials at our embassy in Cairo remain in regular contact with the Egyptian government.

Egypt: Prisoners

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the detention by Egyptian authorities of a Hezbollah operative allegedly attempting to provide logistical and military assistance to Gaza-based militants.

Bill Rammell: In April 2009, the Egyptian authorities announced that they had arrested a group of people with alleged links to a Hezbollah cell. The cell is reported to have been made up of 49 people of various nationalities, including Egyptians, Lebanese and Palestinians. The Egyptian authorities have confirmed that none of the suspects are British nationals.
	The Egyptian authorities allege that the cell was established by Hezbollah with the aim of attacking targets inside Egypt, including Israeli tourists and ships passing through the Suez Canal. According to media reports, the suspects themselves and the Hezbollah leadership claim that the objective of the Egypt cell was to provide support and assistance to militants in Gaza.

EU-Israel Association Committee

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Commissioner for External Relations on the agenda for the EU-Israel Association Council meeting on 15 June 2009.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with European Commissioner for External Relations on 9 March 2009. A number of issues were discussed, including the Middle East Peace Process. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have also been in regular contact with European Commissioner's Cabinet regarding the agenda for the EU-Israel Association Council meeting on 15 June 2009.

EU-Israel Association Committee

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific areas of co-operation the European Commission has proposed for discussion at the EU-Israel Association Council meeting on 15 June 2009.

Bill Rammell: The European Commission has not yet proposed an agenda for the EU-Israel Association Council meeting on 15 June 2009.

Gurkhas: Immigration

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations from the government of Nepal on proposals to grant residency rights to Gurkha soldiers who have served in the armed forces.

Bill Rammell: Our embassy in Kathmandu has maintained a constructive dialogue with the Nepalese Government about developments on the settlement policy for Gurkhas. The Nepalese Government have not expressed any concerns to the Government.

Hezbollah

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the decision to explore contacts with Hezbollah's political wing after the Lebanese election on 7 June 2009.

Bill Rammell: We will continue to keep the decision to explore contacts with Hezbollah's politicians under review and will take developments into account.

Hezbollah

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with their counterparts in (i) the United States, (ii) France, (iii) Israel, (iv) Lebanon, (v) Canada, (vi) Syria and (vii) Iran on Government policy on Hezbollah; and what views were expressed by each of those governments.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials and myself meet regularly with counterparts in other governments and discuss a broad agenda, including, where appropriate, Government policy on Hezbollah. It is not for the FCO to state the views of other governments.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Iran on the seven Baha'i leaders who have been under arrest in Iran for the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 1 June 2009
	We have repeatedly expressed our concerns to the Iranian Government regarding the treatment of the seven Baha'i leaders. The EU, with strong UK support, has called for their immediate release on several occasions.
	I issued a statement on 16 February 2009, backed by an EU statement on 17 February 2009, expressing our concern at the charges against them and calling for the Iranian Government to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings. I then issued a further statement on 14 May 2009 to mark the one year anniversary of their arrest. In this statement I reiterated concerns for their well-being and again called for the Iranian Government to ensure that these individuals are protected and given a fair trial in accordance with international standards.
	The UK will continue to urge Iran to put an end to persecution of religious minorities and to respect the right to freedom of religion and belief as described in article 18 of the international covenant on civil and political rights, to which Iran is a state party.

Sir Jeremy Greenstock

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will withdraw his Department's objection to the publication of Sir Jeremy Greenstock's proposed book on Iraq.

Bill Rammell: Sir Jeremy Greenstock submitted a draft copy of his book to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2005. The FCO was unable to clear the draft and despite attempts by both sides to solve outstanding concerns, it was put on hold. Sir Jeremy indicated in 2005 that he would seek clearance at a later date. We have not received any further contact.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to seek the lifting of the blockade of Gaza by the Israeli authorities.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 21 May 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 13 May 2009 and Defence Minister Barak on 6 May 2009. He also stressed the importance of greater access in his statement to the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009.
	We continue to press the Israelis authorities at official level.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the discovery by Egyptian security forces on 14 May 2009 of weapons and explosive devices along the Sinai Peninsula border with Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of reports of munitions found along the Egyptian-Israeli border. We continue to work closely with international partners to tackle the issue of arms smuggling into Gaza; the UK hosted an international meeting on the issue in March 2009 and will attend a follow-up meeting in June 2009. We condemn any attempt to smuggle arms into Gaza.

Somalia: Piracy

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of allegations that intelligence services in the UK are supplying intelligence to Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 1 June 2009
	 We are aware of recent press reports, upon which we assume the question is based and which originate in a speculative Spanish radio report, citing allegations that Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden have been receiving information from shipping consultants in London. The allegations contained in the original report and subsequent press reporting are unsubstantiated and unfounded.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the alleged use of heavy artillery by the Government of Sri Lanka on civilians in Northern Sri Lanka between 8 and 11 May 2009.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of disturbing reports of the use of heavy weapons by both sides during the conflict and are seeking to verify the accuracy of these reports. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said at the UN on 11 May 2009, we are appalled at the recent reports of civilian casualties. Following the Foreign Secretary's discussions with US Secretary Clinton on 12 May 2009, they released a joint statement calling for the Government of Sri Lanka to abide by its commitment of 27 April 2009 to end major combat operations and the use of heavy weapons. We welcome the end to hostilities and urge the Sri Lankan Government to now focus on the immediate welfare of internally displaced persons and for the long term peace and stability of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU and US counterparts on whether the recent actions of the Sri Lankan Government constitute genocide.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary regularly discusses the situation in Sri Lanka with his US and EU counterparts. As he has made clear, most recently in his joint statement with US Secretary Clinton of 12 May 2009, we are profoundly concerned at the humanitarian crisis and are alarmed by the continued reports of high civilian causalities. We condemn the killing of civilians in the strongest possible terms. As I repeated in the House during the topical debate on Sri Lanka on 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1034, we would support an early investigation into all incidents that may have resulted in civilian casualties, to determine whether war crimes have been committed.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Statement of 30 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1048-50, on Sri Lanka, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UN Security Council addresses the conflict in Sri Lanka.

Bill Rammell: On 19 May 2009, the Sri Lankan President announced that military forces had retaken all the territory once held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and that they had captured or killed the senior leadership of that organisation. Our primary concern remains the immediate humanitarian crisis affecting the civilians displaced by the fighting and the long-term political and economic peace and stability of Sri Lanka. We continue to work with the UN, EU, the Sri Lankan Government and key international partners to try to alleviate the humanitarian situation and to press for progress on a political solution that is based on equality, consent and rule of law.
	Within the UN, we have been working to ensure the Security Council remained fully briefed on the situation in Sri Lanka. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Sri Lanka with UN Security Council representatives on 11 May 2009, and the UK raised Sri Lanka at the UN Security Council on 13 May 2009. We fully supported the visits by senior UN staff to Sri Lanka, including John Holmes (UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs) and Vijay Nambiar, (UN Secretary-General's Chief of Staff) and, in the face of some opposition from others, we supported their subsequent briefings to the Security Council. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed Sri Lanka with the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 19 May 2009. These actions at the UN have been important, not least in keeping the spotlight of international concern on Sri Lanka.
	We have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to use the opportunity of the visits by Mr. Nambiar and the UN Secretary-General himself, to recognise that the UN has a central role to play, both in the delivery of humanitarian aid and in encouraging the process of political reconciliation that must be an integral part of rebuilding Sri Lanka's civil society.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on holding independent war crimes investigations of the actions of the Sri Lankan military.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 1 June 2009
	As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in his written ministerial statement on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 73 WS, we endorse the European Council's call for alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law to be investigated through an independent inquiry, and for those accountable to be brought to justice. We believe this could play an important role in the post-conflict reconciliation process.

Sri Lanka: United Nations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the proposal for a UN special envoy to Sri Lanka.

Bill Rammell: We are not aware of any current proposals for a UN Special Envoy to Sri Lanka. We welcome the high level engagement by the UN, including the recent visits to Sri Lanka by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, his Chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar and UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes. We fully support the efforts of the UN in regard to the situation in Sri Lanka and welcome the UN Secretary-General's continued involvement.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1199-200W, on Sudan: overseas aid, how many international aid organisations have been permitted to return to Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Government of Sudan have not reversed their decision and none of the international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) expelled from Darfur and other parts of northern Sudan have been permitted to return to Darfur. The UK, along with many other countries, has made clear its strong view that these NGOs were doing essential work and need to be allowed back.
	Detailed discussions continue between the UN and Government of Sudan on steps to restore humanitarian capacity and to secure a safe operating environment for NGOs. The UK is in close touch with the UN, the Government of Sudan and other partners on these issues.

Syria: Human Rights

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made in respect of the case of Maryam Kallis, recently arrested in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised this case with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Muallem, during a telephone conversation on 8 May 2009. Consular officials in Damascus have visited Mrs. Kallis on two occasions, on 8 and 23 April 2009 and we have requested further consular access. We have asked the Syrian authorities to allow Mrs. Kallis access to legal representation and that her family are allowed to visit her. We have made clear to the Syrian authorities that we expect them either to charge or to release Mrs. Kallis as soon as possible. We continue to pursue this case repeatedly at an official level with the Syrian authorities.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Constitutions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of the constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands is contained in the Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006, which is currently in force.
	I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 16 March 2009,  Official Report, column 39WS. The Commission of Inquiry's final report was due by 31 May 2009. Unless the Commissioner's final report significantly changes our current assessment of the situation, the order suspending parts of the constitution will be brought into force after the final report is received and has been considered.

UK Trade and Investment: Recruitment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what difference in cost to his Department there is between filling an overseas post relating to UK Trade and Investment with an officer of the Diplomatic Service and an official from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; and whether this difference is taken into account when posts are allocated.

Gillian Merron: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) jobs overseas are subject to internal open competition in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UKTI and Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform (BERR). Successful candidates are chosen only on merit, in the interests of getting the best person for the job. BERR staff taking up UKTI positions overseas transfer to diplomatic service terms and conditions for the duration of their posting.
	It is not possible to provide a difference in cost between filling a UKTI overseas post with an officer of the diplomatic service and an official from BERR as costs are dependent on the post, the destination country and the grade and personal circumstances of the officer.

United Arab Emirates: Torture

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of the United Arab Emirates on the examination of alleged video evidence of acts of torture by uniformed police and others in that country.

Bill Rammell: The Government are absolutely opposed to the use of torture under any circumstances. We note the official statement of the Government of the United Arab Emirates on 30 April 2009 unequivocally condemning the actions depicted in the video. We welcome the decision of the Human Rights Office of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to conduct a comprehensive review of this case and to make its findings public at the earliest opportunity.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the Administering Power for the Non Self-Governing territory of Western Sahara is as referred to in General Assembly Resolution 63/110 on the Declaration on Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

Bill Rammell: Morocco administers most of the territory of Western Sahara de facto. In respect of Western Sahara, no member state is listed as the Administering Power.
	The UK voted against UN General Assembly Resolution 63/110 this year, and has voted against similar resolutions in previous years, as we find some elements of the resolution unacceptable.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer question 267724, on conflict prevention resources, tabled on 25 March 2009.

Gillian Merron: This question was answered on 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1146W. The delay in replying was due to an administrative error.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Assets

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department last reviewed its assets and land and property holdings with a view to identifying and disposing of surpluses.

Jonathan R Shaw: The DWP does not own any land or property. The Department has outsourced its estate through a PFI Contract known as PRIME, under which it pays a charge for serviced accommodation for each building covering the cost of the space occupied, the maintenance of the building, plant, fixtures and fittings, and of the facilities management services provided.
	The Department similarly owns no IT assets. Its IS/IT and telephony requirements were outsourced to EDS and BT in 2005.
	The Department's remaining assets are regularly reviewed but have little, if any, disposal value.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of staff dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years is not available in the format requested.
	The Department and its agencies do not have a category of under-performance as a measure of employee performance. However, there is a category of unsatisfactory performance.
	The information is held on the Department's personnel computer system which was introduced from November 2006. Information is not available from this system prior to April 2007.
	The number of staff dismissed for unsatisfactory performance and the number dismissed in total, for each year since April 2007 is outlined in the following table:
	
		
			  1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 
			   Dismissals for unsatisfactory performance  Dismissals for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance  Total dismissals 
			 DWP and its agencies 17 1,167 1,184 
		
	
	
		
			  1 April 2008  to 31 March 200 9 
			  DWP and its agencies  Dismissals for unsatisfactory performance  Dismissals for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance  Total dismissals 
			 DWP total 18 1,190 1,208 
		
	
	The total number of staff dismissed in each year was in the region of 1 per cent. of the total staff employed in the Department. Of the total number of staff dismissed for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance around two-thirds were dismissed for unsatisfactory attendance.

Employment Schemes: Lone Parents

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Government's guarantee of a job interview for every lone parent who is looking for work and ready for work is expected to take effect.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 15 May 2009
	Jobcentre Plus introduced the guarantee of a job interview for eligible lone parents in April 2008.

Employment Schemes: Lone Parents

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when work trials for lone parents were introduced; and how many lone parents have undertaken such trials to date.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 15 May 2009
	Work trials were introduced in December 1989. Lone parents do not have to satisfy the eligibility criteria and so have access to this provision from 'Day One'. However, the nature of the available statistical data means I am unable to provide an overall figure of how many lone parents have undertaken a work trial.

Funeral Payments

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to pay funeral grants to terminally ill people before they die to enable them to plan their own funerals; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The Department does not provide financial support to people to fund their own funerals. Funeral payments, an element of the social fund, provide help, at the point assistance is required, to people receiving specified income-related benefits or tax credits who are responsible for paying for the funeral of a close friend or relative and who have good reason for taking responsibility for the funeral arrangements. This is to ensure that available resources go to those who are least well off.
	Although the scheme is kept under review there are no plans to make fundamental changes to the funeral payments scheme to provide advance financial assistance to people for arranging their own funeral.

Jobcentre Plus

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many jobcentres were  (a) opened,  (b) relocated and  (c) closed in each of the last 12 months; under what circumstances jobcentres are (i) opened, (ii) relocated and (iii) closed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the  (a) address is and  (b) date of opening was of each jobcentre in England and Wales.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves :
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many jobcentres were opened, relocated and closed in each of the last 12 months; under what circumstances jobcentres are opened, relocated and closed; and, what the address and date of opening was of each jobcentre in England and Wales. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	Jobcentre Plus Customer Service Directors regularly review their service delivery plans to ensure optimum provision of service for all customers, for every Jobcentre Plus District. Our approach to closure of a customer-facing Jobcentre takes into account any impact on customer service and the relocation of the work and staff of the closing office. When considering site closures we are committed to full consultation with our customers, partner organisations, Trade Unions, staff, and local Members of Parliament.
	In light of the emerging economic downturn pressures we decided to suspend the planned closure of 25 Jobcentres. This decision was announced in November 2008. There has been a further closure of three small sites in London during March 2009. These had been announced last summer prior to the decision to suspend future closures. There will be no new Jobcentre closures while the current economic conditions persist.
	Jobcentre Plus inherited around 1,500 offices from the merger of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service in 2002. We have modernised our Jobcentre network to improve customer service, rationalising our estate to provide excellent high street coverage and a single, integrated customer facing office, at the same time reducing cost to the tax payer. We remain the largest office network in Government with 741 modern Jobcentres. This high street presence is supported by 31 modern contact centres and 79 main benefit processing centres.
	In addition to our network of modernised Jobcentres we aim to make our services accessible to customers by providing a range of support through outreach, often delivering advisory and other support at our partners' premises. That is particularly important in locations where maintaining a Jobcentre could not be justified. Typically such services can be delivered in partnership with Children's Centres or on Local Authority premises or in conjunction with one of our Welfare to Work Providers.
	The great majority of our services (in common with most large, modern organisations) are now also delivered through the telephone and internet. For example, to give customers more convenient access, we have around half a million vacancies on-line at any time (our website receives close to one million job searches every working day), and new claims to benefit are predominantly taken by telephone with some taken on-line. This has brought our customer facing services together in a more coherent and integrated network and I believe Jobcentre Plus is well-placed to respond to the full range of economic conditions.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what roles we expect the planned additional 6,000 Jobcentre Plus staff to fill. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Whilst Jobcentre Plus will have an additional 6,000 staff in the next operational year we do not yet have the detailed plans on their deployment as these are still being worked on. However, it is anticipated that more than half of these will be Personal Advisers and others will be in customer intervention and support roles within our customer service operations.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claims for jobseeker's allowance took  (a) fewer than five days,  (b) between five and 10 days,  (c) between 10 and 20 days,  (d) between 20 and 30 days,  (e) between 30 and 50 days,  (f) between 50 and 100 days and  (g) over 100 days to process in each of the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years for which information is available.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question asking how many and what proportion of claims for Jobseeker's Allowance took (a) fewer than five days, (b) between five and 10 days, (c) between 10 and 20 days, (d) between 20 and 30 days, (e) between 30 and 50 days, (f) between 50 and 100 days and (g) over 100 days to process in each of the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years for which information is available. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	In terms of volumes and percentages our benefit processing system records the number of Jobseekers Allowance claims processed within the following time bands: 1-5 days; 6-10 days; 11-16 days; 17-21 days and over 22 days. The volumes are displayed as a cumulative figure for each of the time bands except over 22 days. So for example, those claims between 1-5 days are included in the column for 6-10 days and so on. The percentage figures are not cumulative and are subject to rounding. This data has been available since 2006. Therefore I have provided you with the yearly total for 2006/07 and 2007/08. I have also provided you with the in-month data for the last 12 months. The available information is in the attached annex.
	
		
			  Annex 
			   Volume  Percentage 
			   C olumn A  C olumn B (=column A+cases 6-10 days)  C olumn C (=column B+cases 14-16 days)  C olumn D (=column C+cases 17-21 days)  C olumn E (=22 days and over only)  Column F  Column G  Column H  Column I  Column J 
			   JSA processed in 5 days  JSA processed in 10 days  JSA processed in 16 days  JSA processed in 21 days  JSA processed in 22+ days  1-5 days  6-10 days  11-16 days  17-24 days  22 days+ 
			  2008   
			 March 33,193 114,739 144,365 152,208 7,143 20.8 51.2 18.6 4.9 4.5 
			 April 34,345 131,400 176,442 188,313 9,189 17.4 49.1 22.8 6.0 4.7 
			 May 41,848 123,546 159,529 169,803 9,094 23.4 45.7 20.1 5.7 5.1 
			 June 40,662 131,447 175,834 188,593 9,302 20.5 45.9 22.4 6.4 4.7 
			 July 44,078 146,259 205,764 221,415 11,049 19.0 44.0 25.6 6.7 4.8 
			 August 46,294 140,168 200,750 218,392 12,825 20.0 40.6 26.2 7.6 5.5 
			 September 50,919 163,883 221,444 237,978 12,198 20.4 45.2 23.0 6.6 4.9 
			 October 57,258 170,242 231,717 248,851 13,301 21.8 43.1 23.5 6.5 5.1 
			 November 60,081 184,277 243,502 260,858 15,686 21.7 44.9 21.4 6.3 5.7 
			 December 56,096 156,505 221,502 240,793 15,965 21.8 39.1 25.3 7.5 6.2 
			
			  2009   
			 January 94,216 230,960 321,028 350,918 24,495 25.1 36.4 24.0 8.0 6.5 
			 February 91,021 205,603 279,106 313,664 27,449 26.7 33.6 21.5 10.1 8.0 
			
			 2006-07 229,759 922,387 1,552,047 1,840,313 359,228 10.4 31.5 28.6 13.1 16.3 
			 2007-08 360,048 1,392,944 1,872,132 2,020,687 148,828 16.6 47.6 22.1 6.8 6.9

Jobseeker's Allowance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people aged over 25 years have been referred from jobseeker's allowance to a training allowance  (a) during the first month of their claim,  (b) between one and three months of their claim,  (c) between three and six months into their claim,  (d) between six and 12 months of their claim and  (e) between 12 and 18 months of their claim, excluding those claiming a training allowance as part of a New Deal programme, in the last 12 months.

Tony McNulty: The information is not collated centrally.

Social Rented Housing

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the rules governing the payment of housing benefit to landlords to allow greater flexibility.

Kitty Ussher: Local housing allowance was rolled out nationally in April 2008 for customers in the deregulated private rented sector who make a new claim for housing benefit, and for existing customers who move address. It is a way of calculating the rent element of housing benefit based on the area in which a customer lives and their household size. Local housing allowance is paid to the tenant rather than the landlord in most circumstances.
	We believe that local housing allowance is a much fairer, simpler and more transparent way of calculating housing benefit. One of the key features of local housing allowance is that where possible the benefit will be paid to the customer, so that they can take more personal responsibility for their housing, helping to prepare for when they move into work.
	We accept that it is not possible in every case to make the payment to the tenant and, once the local authority has determined a maximum rent in accordance with the relevant regulations, payments are therefore made to the landlord in the following circumstances:
	when the tenant is unlikely to pay (for example, where the local authority knows from past experience that the tenant is likely to abscond with the rent payment); or
	when the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments; for example, due to an alcohol/gambling/drug dependency or because of a serious medical condition such as Alzheimer's disease; or
	when the tenant is in arrears of eight weeks or more.
	Local authorities may make payments to the landlord where they consider that the claimant is likely to have difficulty in paying their rent and it is in the interest of the claimant to do so. We therefore encourage landlords not to wait for the eight-week period to be reached but to contact the local authority as soon as a payment is missed so that they can begin gathering the evidence required to make a decision on direct payment.
	We are satisfied that these safeguards will ensure that vulnerable customers do not fall into unmanageable difficulties and that their rental payments will be met.
	Local housing allowance was introduced in nine pathfinder authorities in 2003-04 and was subject to extensive and independent evaluation. A further nine authorities implemented the scheme in 2005 to test operational readiness.
	Despite landlords' initial fears, there is overwhelming evidence that customers have responded extremely well to the responsibility of managing their rent payments. Evidence from the evaluation has shown that customers regard paying the rent as a matter of prime importance and that most would prioritise this above all other payments. 84 per cent. of tenants are successfully managing their own housing benefit. Of the remaining 16 per cent. only a third are having their housing benefit paid to the landlord because they have fallen into arrears of eight weeks or more. Two-thirds are having their benefit paid to the landlords because the local authority, working together with landlords, has identified that they might not be able manage their rent payments. The local housing allowance evaluation reports are available on the DWP website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/lha/evaluation/index.asp
	We are closely monitoring how the local housing allowance scheme is working in practice and will undertake a review during the first two years of operation following national rollout.

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of each type of benefit who will apply for bridging payments under the provisions of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Amendment (No.2)) Regulations 2008 and the Social Security (Transitional Payments) Regulations 2008 in each of the next two years.

Tony McNulty: We have not made an estimate of the number of customers who may apply for a loan. We have made provision for all customers whose benefit payments will change from being made weekly to fortnightly in arrears to be offered a loan equivalent to 100 per cent. of their weekly benefit.

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average weekly income of claimants of each type of benefit who will move to fortnightly benefit payments in arrears under the provisions of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Amendment (No.2)) Regulations 2008 and the Social Security (Transitional Payments) Regulations 2008.

Tony McNulty: We have not made an estimate of average weekly income, because it can vary depending on an individual's circumstances—for example, customers may receive other sources of income such as child tax credits, earnings from part-time employment or occupational pensions, and so on.

Vocational Training

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what facilities Jobcentre Plus offers for access to and registration for skills accounts in each pilot area.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what facilities Jobcentre Plus offers for access to and registration for skills accounts in each pilot area. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus offers access to skills accounts in Integrated Employment and Skills pilot areas, by referring customers to Learning and Skills Council contracted Nextstep services, or by signposting them to the Careers Advice telephone service. These services offer advice and information on skills accounts and facilitate registration where appropriate.

Workers' Memorial Day

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has  (a) spent on and  (b) allocated to its consultation on official recognition of Workers' Memorial Day.

Jonathan R Shaw: The costs of the consultation exercise will be met from existing resource. The costs cannot be separately identified because the staff working on the consultation are simultaneously working on other projects as well.

HEALTH

Alzheimer's Disease

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the rate of incidence of Alzheimer's disease in  (a) England,  (b) London and  (c) the London Borough of Croydon in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Hope: The Department does not have data on the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. However the national Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) records the number of people recorded on practice disease registers with a diagnosis of dementia. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50 to 75 per cent. of cases of dementia so the prevalence of patients with dementia gives an indication of the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. This prevalence figure is available only for the two latest releases of QOF, covering 2006-07 and 2007-08 (financial years). However, these numbers are likely to be an underestimate of the true position. The Dementia UK report, published in 2007 by the Alzheimer's Society estimated that two-thirds of the people with dementia never receive a formal diagnosis.
	Figures are supplied for the health areas, which best fit the areas requested.
	These QOF figures are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Prevalence of dementia 
			  Percentage 
			   2007-08  2006-07 
			 England 0.4 0.4 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 0.3 0.3 
			 Croydon Primary Care Trust 0.3 0.3

Cancer: Health Services

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided to external organisations to raise awareness of and provide patient support for those diagnosed with  (a) breast cancer,  (b) leukaemia,  (c) cervical cancer and  (d) prostate cancer in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: In the last 12 months, approximately £1.98 million has been awarded to organisations to raise awareness of and provide patient support for people diagnosed with cancer. This is broken down as follows:
	As part of the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative's promoting earlier presentation work stream, the Department of Health and the Football Foundation are joint funding the Ahead of the Game programme. Ahead of the Game is a one-year pilot programme, which will use the appeal of football to raise awareness of lung, bowel and prostate cancers in men aged 55 and over. The Department has awarded £86,000 for this work between 2008 and 2010.
	£76,500 was awarded to MKC Trust over a three-year period from 2009-2012, to raise awareness of breast cancer among south Asian communities, and provide support to south Asian women with breast cancer and their families.
	In addition, over £1.8 million has been awarded over the last 12 months to organisations supporting cancer patients in general, for the period 2009-12.
	Funding awarded more than 12 months ago also continues to be used to raise awareness of cancer and provide support for patients. For example, we continue to support the Healthy Communities Collaborative which is raising awareness of bowel, breast and lung cancers in spearhead communities.

Dementia

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to develop a national public awareness campaign on dementia since the publication of the National Dementia Strategy in February 2009.

Phil Hope: The Department has already begun to raise public awareness of dementia by funding the Alzheimer's Society Worried about Your Memory campaign in 2008. Leaflets, booklets and posters on dementia have been made available in all general practitioner surgeries in England. The campaign aims to prompt and help people to consider if their forgetfulness, or that of a friend or relative, is due to just poor memory or the beginning of a medical problem and to encourage them to seek medical advice.
	In addition, over the course of the five-year implementation of the strategy there will be both national and local awareness campaigns designed to improve public and professional awareness, and change existing attitudes towards dementia.

Dementia: Drugs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the outcomes of the review of the use of antipsychotic medicines in dementia; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish those outcomes.

Phil Hope: The outcomes of the review of the use of antipsychotic medicines in dementia will be completed shortly. It was not possible to complete the review within the original timescale because of the amount of resource needed for the National Dementia Strategy itself.

Departmental Security

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breaches of security have been reported at the  (a) Medicines Healthcare Products and Regulatory Agency and  (b) NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency in the last five years; and what procedures each agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data.

Ben Bradshaw: There have been no breaches of security reported at Medicines Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency in the last five years.
	There have been no breaches of security reported at NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency in the last five years.
	As part of the Cabinet Office Information Governance Assurance Programme, staff are required to declare breaches of data security to the Senior Information Risk Owner, who in turn is required to declare these to the Information Commissioner's office. Both agencies also make a statement on Information Governance in their annual reports.

Diabetes: North East

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of the treatment of diabetes in the North East Strategic Health Authority in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: The following table shows the expenditure on diabetes for the North East Strategic Health Authority for the last three years in which data are available.
	
		
			   Expenditure on own population (£000) 
			 2004-05 37,719 
			 2005-06 47,870 
			 2006-07 42,713 
			  Note: Figures do not include prevention or general medical services expenditure.  Source: Department of Health Programme Budgeting

Domestic Accidents: Children

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were admitted to hospital as a result of an accident in the home in each month of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Dawn Primarolo: Euro Ministers are responsible for preparations for joining the single currency in their respective Departments and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings in this capacity. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover. Ministers do have other responsibilities around European Union business.

Epilepsy

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake a review of NHS services for people with epilepsy.

Ann Keen: On 19 May 2009, we met with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Epilepsy. At this meeting, we announced that the Department will be working with stakeholders specifically to look at the commissioning of local services to meet the needs of people living with epilepsy.

Epilepsy

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken in response to the report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy of June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Detailed information on the work the Department has already taken in response to the 2007 report by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Epilepsy were given when we met with the APPG for Epilepsy on 19 May 2009. At this meeting we also announced that the Department will be specifically looking into the commissioning arrangements for local services to meet the health and social care needs of those living with this condition.

General Practitioners: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the licence charges are for each information system accredited under the GP Systems of Choice programme; what expenditure his Department has incurred to date on  (a) upgrading GP systems to Systems of Choice level and  (b) supplying infrastructure to primary care trusts under the GP Systems of Choice programme to date; and what estimate he has made of primary care trusts' expenditure of training staff to use GP Systems of Choice to date.

Ben Bradshaw: The GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC) initiative is aimed at improving the information technology (IT) systems and services that support general practices in England by delivering the functionality required under the national programme for IT in line with a common set of standards and performance measures to which all suppliers must adhere. GPSoC enables practices to continue to use the IT systems they already use, but under a standard contractual arrangement that improves transparency and value for money for the national health service.
	The annual licence and service charges payable to suppliers for each information technology (IT) system accredited under GPSoC are given in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Supplier  EMIS  INPS  iSOFT  Microtest 
			  Licence/service level 
			 Software licence 3,427.72 4,681.00 4,997.31 5,592.81 
			 Level 1 compliance 204.64 205.00 203.06 204.64 
			 Level 2 compliance 204.64 205.00 203.06 204.64 
			 Level 3 compliance 204.64 205.00 Not level 3 compliant Not level 3 compliant 
			 Summary care record (SCR) compliance Not SCR compliant Not SCR compliant 203.06 Not SCR compliant 
			 System Support 665.08 665.00 659.95 665.08 
			 Notes: 1. Level 1 compliance: functionality to support core general practitioner (GP) system requirements, choose and book, Spine, and personal demographics service 2. Level 2 Compliance: Level 1, plus electronic prescription service 3. Level 3 Compliance: Level 2, plus GP to GP record transfer Minor variations in compliance and system support charges, originally common for all suppliers, are due to indexation changes as a result of timing of when the contract became effective for each supplier. 
		
	
	All systems must meet GPSoC Level 2 before they are funded under the GPSoC contract and it is the suppliers who must meet the costs of upgrading their systems to achieve this level.
	Funding of an average of £9,500 per GP practice was provided to PCTs in 2007 to upgrade practice IT infrastructure to ensure that practice infrastructure met the minimum standards required to support the efficient use of systems provided under GPSoC, and of other systems and services provided under the national programme for IT.
	Since the initiative enables practices to retain the systems with which they are familiar and have been trained to use, training funded under GPSoC is restricted to that required to take advantage of new functionality. Expenditure to date, which is funded by the Department, totals some £323,000.

General Practitioners: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he has set for  (a) the cessation of the temporary programme, GP Systems of Choice, as part of the National Programme for IT and  (b) the commencement of the deployment of Local Service Provider solutions for General Practice.

Ben Bradshaw: GP Systems of Choice began in August 2007, to run initially for two years, with the expectation that contracts awarded under the initiative would be extended for a further two years if the initiative proved successful. The assumption at the outset was that, by the end of the four-year period, national programme for information technology local service providers (LSPs) would have delivered their integrated general practice solutions. Depending on the rate of take up of the integrated solutions, the Department will determine in due course whether the contracts should be re-tendered to ensure continuity of service.
	LSP general practitioner (GP) solutions have already been deployed to over 900 practices, with more practices migrating to TPP SystmOne, provided by CSC, than any other available GP system.

General Practitioners: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of accrediting systems through the GP Systems of Choice programme.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department routinely undertakes testing to demonstrate that new functionality offered by national programme for information technology suppliers meets the necessary requirements and standards. The cost of doing so would therefore arise even in the absence of GP Systems of Choice (GPSoC).
	Under GPSoC, the cost varies depending on whether the system is an upgrade to an existing system or a new system. The estimated average cost of the former is around £4,500, and of the latter, around £23,300.

Headaches and Migraine

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training in the care of people with headaches and migraine disorders is available to  (a) GPs and  (b) other medical staff.

Ann Keen: The Department shares a commitment with statutory and professional bodies that all health professionals are trained, so that they have the skills and knowledge to deliver a high quality health service to all groups of the population with whom they deal. The Department, along with local national health service bodies that commission professional training, continue to work with the regulators and higher education institutes to ensure that their standards and curricula reflect the changing needs of patient and service delivery.
	Training needs for all NHS staff are determined against local NHS priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service.

Headaches and Migraine

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on drugs for the relief of headache disorders and migraine.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department funds national health service research and development through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The institute's research programmes support high quality research of relevance and in areas of high priority to patients and the NHS. That research currently includes a randomised placebo controlled trial of propranolol and pizotifen in preventing migraine in children. The Department is also providing national health service support for a clinical study of clopidogrel as prophylactic treatment for migraine through the NIHR Primary Care Research Network.
	The NIHR funded University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre is undertaking research on headache and pain. A five-year budget of £3.7 million has been allocated to this work.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC, an independent body, receives its grant in aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	The MRC is currently funding two research projects relating to headache and migraine as follows:
	Dr. K. E. Volynski at University College London: Calcium channels in evoked neurotransmitter release at individual synapses and neurological disease which relates to familial hemiplegic migraine.
	Professor D. Kullman at the Institute of Neurology, London: Presynaptic ion channel dysfunction in the forebrain which is looking at the mechanisms which can cause seizures in conditions such as migraine and epilepsy.
	A range of pharmacological interventions are available to prevent the occurrence of headaches, and to relieve the pain of attacks. It is the responsibility of health professionals to consider what treatment is the most appropriate for their patients, in consultation with the patient and informed by their medical history.

Health Professions: Working Hours

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the effects of the European Working Time Directive on hospital staff.

Ann Keen: The national health service has made excellent progress in implementing this important legislation, which ensures that patients receive safe, high quality care from staff that have not been forced to work excessive hours. Only the junior doctors in training remain to become compliant by 1 August and two-thirds of them are already working a 48-hours week averaged over 26 weeks.
	The United Kingdom Government notified the European Commission in January 2009 of its assessment of progress in achieving compliance with the European Working Time Directive by doctors in training. A copy of the UK notification of Derogation for Doctors in Training has already been placed in the Library. The Department is working closely with the medical royal colleges, the British Medical Association and strategic health authorities to ensure trusts are prepared for full implementation.

Health Services: Disabled

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much primary care trusts spent on  (a) disability services and  (b) children's disability services in the last five years.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	However, 'Services for children and young people with disabilities and/or special needs: Report of findings from child health mapping in England 2005 to 2007', published in February 2009, brings together available information from some primary care trusts including financial information.

Heart Diseases

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what arrangements are in place to consult the voluntary sector as part of his Department's external review of implementation of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease and the future of cardiology services;
	(2)  when he plans to complete his Department's assessment of the future profile of cardiology services; and what account that assessment is taking of links between cardiac conditions, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes.

Ann Keen: The Department is commissioning an external review of the implementation and delivery of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease. In addition to this, we will undertake an analysis of the trends in the burden of heart disease and look at how patient expectation and need, technology and working practices are likely to affect future demand and patterns of service provision. We will feed our findings into the discussions of the National Quality Board, which has been set up to oversee the priorities for the service in the future. As part of normal practice, the Department will consult with the voluntary sector. A completion date has not yet been set.
	In addition to this, phased implementation of this NHS Health Check Programme began in April 2009. This takes a cross-vascular approach to preventing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Heart Diseases

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has commissioned recent research to establish which population groups have disproportionately higher levels of cardiac and vascular disease.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department's Policy Research Programme (PRP) funds the South London Stroke Register which monitors trends in the incidence of stroke in different ethnic groups(1). The British Women's Health and Heart Study, also funded by the PRP, is a large, nationally representative cohort study of older women that provides information about the incidence of cardio-vascular disease.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies though which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	The MRC currently supports a broad portfolio of cardiovascular and stroke research which includes epidemiological and population based programmes. Studies included in the portfolio include:
	Professor C Fall, University of Southampton—Maternal nutrition, foetal and childhood growth, and programming of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in South Asians;
	Professor D A Lawlor, University of Bristol—The epidemiology of coronary heart disease in women; and
	Dr. S Ramsay, University College London—Health inequalities in British men: the impact of socio-economic circumstances at different stages of the life course.
	In addition, the MRC, jointly with the British Heart Foundation, had recently agreed to fund a £2.9 million research programme led by Professor J Danesh at University College London looking at the interplay of genetic, biochemical and lifestyle factors on coronary heart disease incidence in populations across Europe.
	(1) Recent data from the South London Stroke Register were published last year in the Journal of the American Heart Association ("Ethnic Group Disparities in 10-Year Trends in Stroke Incidence and Vascular Risk Factors"). The article is available online at:
	www.stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/39/8/2204

Immediate Care

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter of 14 May 2009 from his Department's Director, Workforce Capacity, Analysis and HR, which hospital services provide 24-hour immediate care; and what definition of immediate care his Department uses.

Ann Keen: The terminology referred to means all hospital emergency and acute services operating a 24-hour service. It could also refer to urgent non-elective surgery specialty work, for example, a heart transplant. Services vary from region to region and trust to trust.
	The definition of '24-hour immediate care' was agreed and was the decision of the National European Working Time Directive Reference Group as being the most appropriate term to encapsulate the services above. Membership of the group includes the Royal Colleges, strategic health authorities, deaneries, British Medical Association, NHS employers. This definition was used within the notification of derogation to the European Commission submitted in January.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to set a deadline for the commissioning of NHS services to achieve compliance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: We have no plans to do so. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) clinical guidelines cover a whole pathway of care and may make a significant number of recommendations. The Government expect national health service organisations to work towards implementation of NICE'S clinical guidelines over time, in line with available resources and local priorities.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to increase levels of public confidence in National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is an independent organisation and its clinical guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence. They are developed in consultation with stakeholders, are widely respected internationally and have been commended by the World Health Organisation. The Department has no plans to undertake further work on public perceptions of NICE clinical guidelines.

NHS Redress Scheme

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made on the implementation of the NHS Redress Act 2006;
	(2)  whether consultation has begun on details of the NHS Redress Scheme;
	(3)  when he plans to bring forward proposals for secondary legislation to introduce the NHS Redress Scheme.

Ann Keen: The NHS Redress Scheme can only be enacted through secondary legislation, and will require extensive consultation before draft proposals are brought before Parliament. However, the principles behind the scheme are those underpinning the reform of the NHS complaints arrangements that came into effect on 1 April 2009.
	The NHS Redress Scheme would apply only to clinical negligence cases of lower monetary value. We consider that focussing on complaints reform will enable those principles to be applied across a wider range of cases.
	Once complaints reforms have bedded down, we will begin to consider the implementation of the NHS Redress Scheme.
	Once developed, the NHS Redress Scheme will set out the way lower value clinical negligence cases are handled in the national health service to provide appropriate redress, including investigations, explanations, apologies and financial redress where appropriate, without the need to go to court, thereby improving the experience of patients using the NHS.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions there have been between his Department and representatives of trades unions and NHS staff on the Transforming Community Services programme.

Phil Hope: There were two meetings nationally with the trade union representatives of national health service staff about the Transforming Community Services: Enabling new patterns of provision guidance, which was published in January 2009 a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. These meetings were held on 18 November and 8 December 2008, and comments and contributions from those present influenced significantly the content of the final guidance. The union representatives were a sub-group of members of the Social Partnership Forum, and they discussed the potential implications for NHS staff. NHS clinical staff and trade union representatives are also members of the Board for the Transforming Community Services programme.
	The six transformational practice guides (written principally for clinical team leaders), which are due to be published in June 2009, have also been co-produced with NHS staff.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place for primary care trusts to consult  (a) trades union representatives and  (b) NHS staff on the Transforming Community Services programme.

Phil Hope: The Partnership Agreement 'An agreement between DH, NHS Employers and NHS Trade Unions' was published in March 2007. It sets out the principles and benefits of working in partnership on work force implications of policy. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	It is expected that strategic health authorities (SHAs) will replicate the broad principles and structures, laid out in the Partnership Agreement, at local level.
	In addition, The Handbook to The NHS Constitution for England published, on 21 January 2009, includes a commitment to engage staff in decision that affect them and the services they provide. A copy of this has already been placed in the Library.
	Further, 'Transforming Community Services Enabling New Patterns of Provision', published in January 2009 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library), requires primary care trust boards to consult their staff and their representatives, as well as other key stakeholders, from an early stage on organisational options for the future of community services and to take their views, comments and suggestions into serious consideration. The guidance also highlights the importance of the active engagement by SHAs of regional Social Partnership Forum in reviewing progress and discussing any emerging concerns or significant implementation issues.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect on levels of staff retention of the transfer of NHS community services staff to third sector providers as part of the Transforming Community Services programme.

Phil Hope: There has been no assessment made centrally of the likely effect on levels of staff retention of the transfer of NHS community services staff to third sector providers as part of the Transforming Community Services programme. We have been clear, however, in guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) that we expect PCT boards to consult at any early stage on such proposals and/or requests from staff under the 'Right to Request' scheme, and to ensure that any implications for the future community work force, such as recruitment and retention, are considered.

NHS: Pay

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to Table 71a of the Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2008 on the salaries and wages of non-NHS staff, what jobs are classified as other.

Ann Keen: The following non-NHS staff are classed as other table 71a of the Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2008—any qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff (allied health professionals and other qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff); any support to clinical staff (support to doctors and nursing staff, and support to scientific, therapeutic and technical staff); any national health service infrastructure support (central functions, hotel, property and estates, and managers and senior managers); and any other non-medical staff.

NHS: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent state of readiness return relating to the European Working Time Directive from each NHS trust.

Ann Keen: We will not be laying documentation in the Library at this time because the information is being validated and changing rapidly as we move towards the deadline of 1 August. Information about the state of readiness relating to the European Working Time Directive continues to be analysed and will be published in due course.

Palliative Care

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a report on progress on implementation of the 2005 national service framework for long-term conditions.

Ann Keen: There are no plans to publish a report on implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions. The NSF was published in March 2005, and will be implemented over 10 years with flexibility for local health and social care communities to take account of local priorities and needs.
	The Department has provided service planners, commissioners and providers with guidance, expert advice and support to help them to deliver the NSF's quality requirements. However, in line with devolving responsibility to local organisations, we are moving to new phase with much greater emphasis on local health and social care communities and the third sector taking responsibility for driving forward service change and improvement. This also recognises that the NSF is not a stand-alone priority but that it needs to be closely aligned and integrated into mainstream NHS and Social Services activity.

Palliative Care

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the needs of  (a) children and  (b) adults receiving long-term ventilation (i) in hospital, (ii) in their own homes, (iii) in residential care and (iv) elsewhere.

Phil Hope: It is for local clinicians and multi-disciplinary teams to assess the needs of people receiving long-term ventilation. The Department of Health, with Barnardo's, published "From Hospital to Home: guidance on discharge management and community support for children using long-term ventilation" in 2005. A copy has been placed in the Library. The forthcoming national strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will include material on access to invasive and non-invasive ventilation.

Patients: Suicide

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients who committed suicide unassisted in each NHS hospital in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Hope: The information is not available centrally in the format requested. However, data held on in-patient suicides in England between 1997 and 2005 are in the following table:
	
		
			  In-patient suicides, England 1997  to  2005 
			   Number 
			 1997 214 
			 1998 190 
			 1999 188 
			 2000 196 
			 2001 179 
			 2002 165 
			 2003 183 
			 2004 158 
			 2005 151

Prescriptions: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects Release 2 of the Electronic Prescription Service to be implemented; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many  (a) GP and  (b) pharmacy information systems he plans to accredit for use with the Electronic Prescription Service in the next 12 months.

Phil Hope: All pharmacy and general practitioner (GP) system suppliers have to follow a rigorous assurance process prior to being given authority from Connecting for Health to nationally deploy their Release 2 services. This is made up of a number of key stages including clinical safety testing and initial implementation in a limited number of GP and pharmacy sites.
	Currently, one GP system and one pharmacy system are completing the final stages of clinical safety testing prior to deploying to the first GP and pharmacy sites. The exact start date of initial implementation is dependant on how quickly these systems progress through the final stages of testing. Based on current supplier plans, it is hoped that initial implementation will begin in the summer. The outcomes of the initial implementation stage will be used to finalise plans for wider rollout of Release 2 across the country.
	System suppliers are responsible for providing information on when they expect their systems to be available. Based on recent supplier plans, seven pharmacy and six GP systems are expected to complete the assurance process in the next 12 months.

Social Services: Train to Gain Programme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken under the Social Care Workforce Strategy to promote the Train to Gain initiative to social care providers in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: We are very keen that Train to Gain is utilised and promoted to the social care sector as it has benefited the adult social care sector significantly. There has been a marked increase in those completing training and academic awards over the last three years with nearly 25,000 social care employees achieving a new qualification through Train to Gain.
	We are doing more to support employers' access to Train to Gain funding by providing a brokerage service via Skills for Care to mediate between Train to Gain, employers and individuals in the sector. This brokerage role is key to enabling increased access to funding.

Weather

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of the Heatwave Plan for England 2009 have been produced; and what the cost of production, printing and distribution of the document was.

Dawn Primarolo: The Heatwave Plan itself is a web-based document only. It is distributed via the Department's website, so no hard copies are produced.
	Three additional documents complement the Heatwave Plan itself, to form a package of Heatwave Plan documents. These documents are two factsheets and a public information leaflet:
	Factsheet: Supporting vulnerable people before and during a heatwave—advice for health and social care professionals (which like the plan itself is web-based);
	Factsheet: Supporting vulnerable people before and during a heatwave—advice for care home managers and staff (which like the plan itself is web-based); and
	Leaflet: A guide to looking after yourself and others during hot weather (distributed in hard-copy via GP surgeries, pharmacies and other local outlets).
	To date, 900,000 of the leaflet have been printed for 2009.
	To date, the cost of producing and distributing the 2009 package of Heatwave Plan documents is £79,504.79, made up of the cost of revising the three web-based documents and enabling them to be downloaded from the Department's website, and the printing and posting costs of the leaflet.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed services of each  (a) sex,  (b) age,  (c) regiment and  (d) service stationed in Afghanistan were (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured and (iii) otherwise injured in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, 159 UK Service personnel have died while on deployment, or as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. The figures presented for fatalities are correct as at 19 May 2009. Of the 159 Service personnel who have died, information for four soldiers has not been publicly released and therefore their detailed information has been excluded from the following tables.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, one female member of UK Service personnel has died while on deployment, or as a result of injuries in Afghanistan.
	The following table provides a breakdown of fatalities by age-group and year:
	
		
			  Age group  All  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 All 159 0 3 0 1 1 39 42 51 22 
			 <20 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 3 0 
			 20-24 56 0 1 0 1 1 10 17 16 10 
			 25-29 50 0 0 0 0 0 16 10 16 8 
			 30-34 20 0 2 0 0 0 1 7 6 4 
			 35-39 9 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 3 0 
			 40+ 11 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 3 0 
			 Not released 4 0 0 0 d 0 0 0 4 0 
			 (1) As at 19 May 
		
	
	The following table provides a breakdown of fatalities by Service, Corps/Unit and year:
	
		
			  Service  Corps/unit  All  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 All All 159 0 3 0 1 1 39 42 51 22 
			 
			 Naval Service(2) All 32 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 16 5 
			  3 Command Brigade 29 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 16 5 
			  1 Assault Group 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 
			 
			 Army All 108 0 3 0 1 1 22 35 29 17 
			  Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			  Corps of Royal Engineers 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			  Corps of Royal Military Police 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			  Foot Guards 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 
			  Household Cavalry 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 
			  Intelligence Corps 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			  Mercian Regiment 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 
			  Parachute Regiment 15 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 10 0 
			  Rifles 12 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 8 
			  Royal Anglian Regiment 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 
			  Royal Armoured Corps 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Royal Corps of Signals 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 
			  Royal Gurkha Regiment 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 
			  Royal Irish Regiment 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 
			  Royal Logistic Corps 6 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 
			  Royal Regiment of Artillery 10 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 1 1 
			  Royal Regiment of Scotland 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 1 
			  Royal Welsh 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			  Yorkshire Regiment 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 
			 RAF All 15 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 2 0 
			  120 Squadron 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 
			  3 Squadron, RAF Regiment 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  504 RAF Auxiliary Squadron 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  51 Squadron 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 
			 Info not released  4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 
			 (1) As at 19 May (2)( )Naval Service includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines 
		
	
	In the table above, the breakdown for Army Corps is presented for the current Army structure, following the merger of many regiments over the last few years. Detail of an individual's Corp is subject to change as further information becomes available.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, 198 UK Service personnel have been very seriously or seriously injured (VSI/SI) while on deployment in Afghanistan. The figures presented are sourced from the NOTICAS reporting system and include casualties reported up to 16 May 2009. Casualties within the cause category of 'natural causes' are excluded from the figures.
	Information on the breakdown of very seriously and seriously injured casualties by sex for the time period requested cannot be released without disclosing individual identities.
	The following table provides a breakdown of very seriously and seriously injured casualties by age-group and year:
	
		
			  Age-group  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 198 0 1 1 6 2 31 63 65 29 
			 <20 years 20 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 11 0 
			 20-24 83 0 1 0 2 1 10 27 26 16 
			 25-29 50 0 0 1 2 1 9 17 11 9 
			 30-34 23 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 9 1 
			 35-39 18 0 0 0 1 0 5 3 6 3 
			 40+ 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 
			 (1) As at 16 May 
		
	
	The figures provided above exclude natural causes.
	Information on the breakdown of casualties by Regiment, or other Service equivalent, for the time period requested cannot be released without disclosing individual identities.
	The following table 4 provides a breakdown of very seriously and seriously injured casualties by Service and year:
	
		
			  Service  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 198 0 1 1 6 2 31 63 65 29 
			 Naval Service 48 0 1 0 0 0 7 14 15 11 
			 Army 145 0 0 1 6 2 24 47 47 18 
			 RAF 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 
			 (1) As at 16 May 
		
	
	The Naval Service figures provided above includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines. All figures provided exclude natural causes.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, 602 UK Service personnel have been recorded on the NOTICAS casualty reporting system with a medical listing of Incapacitating Illness/Injury (III), Unlisted Condition (UL) or Minor Injury (MI) while on deployment in Afghanistan. The figures presented include casualties reported up to 16 May 2009. Casualties within the cause category of 'natural causes' are excluded from the figures.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, nine female members of UK Service personnel have been recorded on the NOTICAS casualty reporting system with a medical listing of Incapacitating Illness/Injury (III), Unlisted Condition (UL) or Minor Injury (MI) while on deployment in Afghanistan.
	A breakdown of casualties listed as III, UL and MI by age-group and year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Age-group  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 602 0 3 0 1 6 67 213 207 105 
			 <20 years 76 0 0 0 0 0 6 26 25 19 
			 20-24 243 0 2 0 1 3 25 100 77 35 
			 25-29 158 0 1 0 0 2 20 49 59 27 
			 30-34 67 0 0 0 0 0 7 22 27 11 
			 35-39 35 0 0 0 0 0 6 8 14 7 
			 40+ 19 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 5 6 
			 Not available 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 
			 (1) As at 16 May 
		
	
	The figures provided above exclude natural causes.
	Information on the breakdown of casualties by Regiment, or other Service equivalent, for the time period requested cannot be released without disclosing individual identities.
	A breakdown of casualties listed as III, UL and MI by Service and year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Service  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 602 0 3 0 1 6 67 213 207 105 
			 Naval service(2) 158 0 2 0 0 1 14 63 45 33 
			 Army 430 0 1 0 1 5 50 147 157 69 
			 RAF 14 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 5 3 
			 (1) As at 16 May (2) Naval Service includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines 
		
	
	The figures provided above exclude natural causes.

TREASURY

Balance of Payments: EU Action

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on the UK of changes to the facility to provide medium-term financial assistance for EU member states' balances of payments.

Ian Pearson: The increase to €50 billion in May 2009 will further ensure that the EU is able to act to support the needs of all EU member states, and protect the functioning of the EU common market. There are no EC budgetary implications or impact on the UK of this increase to the ceiling of the facility. Other technical changes will have an impact on those countries receiving medium-term financial assistance under this facility; the EC budget and all member states would take on a larger contingent liability as a result of any increased lending.

Bank Notes: Forgery

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions his Department has taken action in relation to counterfeit currency resembling the euro under counterfeit regulations.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury does not have responsibility for taking action in relation to counterfeit currency resembling the euro. Instances of euro counterfeiting should be reported to the police.
	HM Treasury was responsible however, for negotiations on European Council Regulation 45/2009 of 18 December 2008. This extended measures for the protection of the euro currency from counterfeiting to member states who have not adopted the currency.
	HM Treasury engaged with the Commission closely to ensure that this regulation would be both proportionate and effective. In particular, while appropriate financial and credit institutions will be required to screen for counterfeit euros, the regulations provide flexibility to them regarding the most efficient methods for doing so.
	The Council regulations provide for member states to make appropriate domestic provisions by the end of 2011, and HM Treasury will be taking this forward with relevant stakeholders in due course.

Banks: Iceland

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the recommendations of the Treasury Select Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2008-09, Banking crisis: the impact of the failure of the Icelandic banks.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury is considering carefully the Treasury Select Committee's recommendations and expects to respond to them in due course.

Banks: Iceland

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to lift the freezing order on the Landsbanki assets; on what criteria that steps will be taken; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: On 8 October HM Government made the Landsbanki Freezing Order 2008. The order was made because the Icelandic Government, its authorities and Landsbanki appeared to be on the brink of action which would be to the detriment of the UK economy, including detrimental treatment of UK depositors.
	It is a measure that could be lifted once the Treasury is satisfied that action to the detriment of the UK economy has been addressed and will not proceed.

Banks: Iceland

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the advice he received on use of powers under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 to freeze assets in Icelandic banks; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers receive advice and input on a wide range of issues, from a variety of individuals and organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and analysis. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of advice given to the Treasury.

Banks: Iceland

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his assessment is of whether the actions of the Government in respect of the crisis in Icelandic banks made the Government an active participant in the financial markets; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (KSF) the UK subsidiary of the Icelandic bank Kaupthing was regulated by the FSA, who was also in regular contact with the Icelandic regulator, FME.
	As KSF's position deteriorated the tripartite authorities worked intensively to find solutions to the firm's problems. On 8 October the FSA decided that KSF no longer met the FSA's threshold conditions and the firm went into administration.
	Upon learning of the FSA's decision, the UK Government moved swiftly to transfer some of the deposits of KSF to ING to safeguard depositors and financial stability within the UK.
	The steps taken by the FSA and the Government had no bearing on the status of the parent company, Kaupthing Bank hf, which is incorporated under Icelandic law and subject to supervision by the FME.

Banks: Iceland

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times powers under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 have been used to freeze assets in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The power under section 4 of the Anti Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 has been used on one occasion. This was in 2008 for the Landsbanki Freezing Order.

Banks: Iceland

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last discussed the Government's policy on Icelandic banks and the freezing of their assets with his Icelandic counterpart.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Capital Gains Tax

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received on capital gains tax arrangements for spouses who leave the marital home and purchase alternative properties.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Debts

William Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to Lord Alton of Liverpool of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, column WA158, on debt, what sovereign debt is owed to the UK by  (a) Sudan,  (b) Iraq,  (c) Serbia,  (d) Zimbabwe,  (e) Cuba,  (f) Egypt,  (g) Republic of Congo,  (h) Democratic Republic of Congo and  (i) Somalia.

Ian Pearson: Debts (including accrued interest) of the countries listed to HM Government are given in the following table. Sudan, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia are within the heavily indebted poor countries initiative. The Government will write off their debts as they progress through the initiative and will not seek payment before then.
	
		
			  Country  Debt to UK (£ million) 
			 Sudan 624 
			 Iraq 283 
			 Serbia 215 
			 Zimbabwe 192 
			 Cuba 141 
			 Egypt 126 
			 Republic of Congo 118 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo 88 
			 Somalia 51

Departmental Marketing

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Ian Pearson: Euro Ministers are responsible for euro preparations in their Department and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings.

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions to date the ERM II provisions have been triggered on the approach of a currency to the limits permitted; and what the cost of this intervention was in each case.

Ian Pearson: The Government do not hold this information. The relevant data are owned by the national central banks of the EU member states participating in ERM II. The UK does not participate in ERM II.

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the cost to the UK of participating in the ERM II mechanism in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the reasons are for UK participation in the mechanism.

Ian Pearson: The UK does not participate in the ERM II.

EU Budget

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the size of the UK's next part-annual sum for payment to the European Union budget is.

Ian Pearson: The UK makes its contributions to the EC budget twice monthly. The Government's latest forecast of UK net contributions to the EC budget over the period 2007-08 to 2010-11 were published in table C9 (page 238) of the 2009 Budget (HC 407).

EU Budget

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual administrative cost to his Department of making the payment of the UK's gross contribution to the EU budget.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury does not make estimates of the administration costs involved in making this payment.

EU Budget

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate of the UK's  (a) (i) gross and (ii) net EU budget contributions and  (b) direct contributions to other EU institutions and funds in 2009-10 (A) was estimated to be in 2007 and (B) is estimated now at the pound's current exchange rate.

Ian Pearson: The 2008 European Community Finances White Paper, using estimates from 2007-08, estimated the gross contribution to the EC budget for 2009-10 to be £15.55 billion. A current estimate for gross contribution to the EC budget for 2009-10 will be published in the forthcoming 2009 European Community Finances White Paper. The 2007 pre-Budget report estimated the net contribution to the EC budget for 2009-10 to be £5.7 billion, and net payments to EC institutions to be £4.8 billion. The 2009 Budget estimated the net contribution to the EC budget for 2009-10 to be £4.1 billion, and net payments to EC institutions to be £3.3 billion.
	Payments are not made directly to EU funds. These are covered in payments made to the EC budget. It should be noted that the pound's exchange rate is only one of a range of factors affecting the level of UK contributions to the EC budget.

EU Institutions: Fraud

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of EU institutions on reduction of levels of fraud in those institutions.

Ian Pearson: The Government continue to engage with European institutions and other member states with a view to bringing down the level of fraud in the EC Budget. Despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud in EU institutions, the Government believe that no fraud should be tolerated and continue to press for higher standards to combat fraud and improve financial management.

Income Tax

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the full-year cost to the Exchequer for  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12 of reducing the (i) starting and (ii) basic rate of tax on savings income to zero.

Stephen Timms: The full year cost for each of the three years is shown in the table. The estimates are based on the 2006-07 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward in line with Budget 2009 assumptions. The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2009-10  2010-11  2011-12 
			 Zero starting rate for savings income 20 55 80 
			 Zero basic rate for savings income(1) 510 1,570 2,440 
			 (1) Additional costs assuming the starting rate for savings income is zero.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who have not been fully compensated for losses they incurred as a result of the abolition of the 10 pence tax rate;
	(2)  what plans he has to provide further recompense to people who have not been fully compensated for losses they incurred as a result of the removal of the 10 pence tax rate.

Stephen Timms: An assessment of the impact of the Budget 2007 personal tax changes, and the subsequent reforms made to income tax, were included in the 2008 pre-Budget report at paragraph 5.10.
	The Government have set out, in the 2008 pre-Budget report and Budget 2009, the changes that it will make to the personal tax system through to 2011-12.

Lenders' Panel

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the cost of establishing his Department's Lenders' Panel was; and how much he expects his Department to spend on the Panel in each of the next three years;
	(2)  on how many occasions his Department's Lenders' Panel has met; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each meeting.

Ian Pearson: At the 2008 pre-Budget report, the Government announced the creation of a new Lending Panel, which meets regularly to monitor lending to businesses and households. As part of this new monitoring approach, the Bank of England is publishing a monthly report—Trends in Lending—the second of which was published on 21 May 2009. This is available at:
	www.bankofengland.co.uk
	The Lending Panel brings together lenders, trade bodies, consumer groups, and the Government, regulators and the Bank of England.
	Members of the Lending Panel attend in a voluntary capacity. There are no specific costs associated with the Lending Panel.

Members: Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 5 March 2009 from the right hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent, Mr. Christie.

Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Economic Secretary plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham of  (a) 17 December 2008, acknowledged on 6 January 2009 and  (b) 26 February 2009 on his constituent, Mr. Charles Helden.

Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for New Forest West on the decision to increase maximum income from an unsecured pension by 20 per cent. and its effect on a constituent Mr. S. T. Gray of Lymington.

Ian Pearson: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford's letter of 17 March 2009 (PO Ref: 3/09245/2009) concerning his constituent, Mrs. Nancy Ng, of Chelmsford.

Ian Pearson: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford's letter of 13 March 2009 (PO Ref: 5/04496/2009) concerning his constituent, Mr. Peter Lee, of Great Waltham, Essex.

Ian Pearson: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Pensions: Private Sector

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on private pensions.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Personal Savings

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to assist savers in each year since 1997; what representations he has received on this issue since January 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government receive a range of representations from groups and individuals on a wide range of topics, including savers. Since 1997, the Government's savings strategy has focused on developing better incentives for saving, ensuring people have the capability to make the right savings decisions for them, and that they have access to appropriate savings opportunities. The Government introduced tax-free ISAs in 1999, and announced increases to the ISA limits at Budgets 2007 and 2009. Over 18 million people now have an ISA. The Child Trust Fund was introduced in 2005, and the Saving Gateway will be introduced in 2010 to encourage saving amongst working-age people on lower incomes. The Government have also legislated for reforms to the private pensions system that will encourage and enable more people to save for their retirement.

Personal Savings: Interest Rates

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received since January 2009 on proposals to protect savers from the effect of low interest rates; what reply he gave; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government receive a range of representations from groups and individuals on a wide range of topics, including savers. The Government announced at Budget 2009 that from 6 October 2009 the ISA limits will rise for people aged 50 and over to £10,200, of which up to £5,100 can be saved in cash. From 6 April 2010 the ISA limits will rise to these new levels for all savers. To offer additional support for older savers, Budget 2009 also announced an increase in the capital disregard for pension credit and pensioner related housing and council tax benefit to £10,000 from November 2009, and the launch of a tax-back campaign in autumn 2009, contacting low and middle income pensioners who may have overpaid tax on their savings income.

Repossession Orders

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to assist individuals in  (a) Southend-on-Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales facing repossession of their property in each month since January 2008; what representations he has received on this issue since January 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government introduced Financial Services Authority regulation of mortgages in 2004. The FSA's regime provides important protections for borrowers. It requires lenders to treat their customers fairly, and to treat repossession as a last resort.
	FSA regulation is supported by the new mortgage pre-action protocol introduced in November 2008. This sets out clear guidance on what actions judges expect lenders to take before bringing a claim in the courts to help ensure that lenders have tried to discuss and agree other alternatives with the borrower.
	Through the new Lending Panel, announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report, the Government are working closely with lenders, consumer groups and regulators to monitor lending to businesses and households. The lenders on the Lending Panel have committed not to repossess where the owner-occupier is less than three months in arrears.
	The Government launched Homeowners Mortgage Support on 21 April. This new scheme, together with changes announced at Budget 2009 to Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and the Government's Mortgage Rescue Scheme, will help homeowners who experience a temporary income shock, lose employment, or are otherwise vulnerable, to remain in their homes. The Government have also taken action to help ensure that every household struggling with debts has access to free and impartial debt advice.
	The Chancellor receives representations from a wide range of stakeholders on issues relating to repossessions.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in HM Revenue and Customs contact centres in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09; and how many calls were received by such centres in each of those years.

Stephen Timms: The number of  (a) full-time equivalent staff employed as at 31 March and  (b) the number of calls received by HM Revenue and Customs contact centres in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  HMRC contact centres 
			   Full-time equivalent staff( 1)  Calls received (million)( 2) 
			 2006-07 10,035 60 
			 2007-08 9,763 65.5 
			 2008-09 10,038 66.2 
			 (1) As at 31 March. (2) Calls received, where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and the call was placed into a queue to speak to an adviser.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many compliance staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs at each grade in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The number of staff engaged in compliance activities, by grade, is listed in the following table. They exclude detection staff who were transferred to the UK Border Agency in 2008.
	
		
			  As at  1  April  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Senior civil servant 115 114 106 102 106 
			 Grade 6 603 581 523 531 521 
			 Grade 7 1,314 1,282 1,263 1,238 1,274 
			 Fast stream 77 566 528 475 359 
			 Senior officer 2,025 1,812 1,729 1,667 1,614 
			 High officer 7,281 6,465 6,313 5,928 5,478 
			 Officer 10,554 10,131 9,515 8,907 8,030 
			 Assistant officer 4,249 4,256 4,231 4,165 4,227 
			 Admin assistant 2,340 2,105 2,040 1,863 1,566 
			   
			 Total 28,558 27,313 26,248 24,876 23,176

Tax Allowances: Personal Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 421-22W, on tax allowances: personal pensions, how many individuals claimed income tax relief on personal pensions at  (a) the basic rate and  (b) the higher rate in 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: The number of individuals claiming income tax relief at the basic rate in respect of personal pension contributions was estimated to be 5.2 million in 2006-07. The number of individuals claiming income tax relief in respect of those taxed at the higher rate was estimated to be 1.3 million in 2006-07.
	These figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 and relate to contributions by employees and the self-employed only. They are based on 2006-07 survey data.

Tax Yields: Business

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount of business rates raised from businesses based in residential properties in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The Government do not hold this information, which could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Tax Yields: Business

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount of capital gains tax raised from businesses based in residential properties in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available.

Taxation

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an estimate of the full-year cost to the Exchequer for  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12 of simultaneously reducing the starting and basic rate of tax on savings income to zero and increasing age-related personal allowances by £2,000.

Stephen Timms: The full year cost for each of the three years is shown in the table. The estimates are based on the 2006-07 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward in line with Budget 2009 assumptions. The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2009-10  2010-11  2011-12 
			 Zero starting and basic rate of income tax on savings income and increase age related allowances by £2,000 1,710 2,850 3,800

Taxation

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assistance his Department provides to individuals in financial difficulty; whether provision exists for individuals to delay payment of  (a) income tax and  (b) national insurance; what plans he has to provide further assistance to such individuals in the next 12 months; what representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: With regard to tax collection, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) expects all customers to make payments when they are due. However, the Department recognises that in certain circumstances this may not be possible and publishes advice and guidance for individuals encountering payment difficulties. This guidance can be accessed at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/payinghmrc/problems/cantpay-individuals.htm.
	In addition, individuals who run their own business can now access the new Business Payment Support Service (BPSS), which allows viable businesses in temporary financial difficulty time to pay their tax bills to a timetable they can afford. The service was extended at Budget 2009 to allow businesses expecting to make losses to offset these against tax bills due on profits from the previous year, which they are unable to pay. As of 24 May over 135,000 agreements had been reached with business, worth £2.4 billion of tax deferred.
	The Government receive various representations relating to the collection of income tax and national insurance contributions, and keep the case for further assistance to individuals in financial difficulty under review.

Taxation: Construction

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of extending gift aid to not-for-profit agencies that reuse, reclaim and up-cycle redundant and surplus construction materials; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury keeps all tax reliefs under review, but has no plans to extend Gift Aid beyond money donations to charities and community amateur sports clubs. Gift Aid is only available for gifts of money and extending it to donations of construction materials would increase complexity and add uncertainty over valuation issues.

Taxation: Sports

Andy Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the merits of uprating the trading and rental income thresholds for corporation tax exemption for clubs registered as community amateur sports clubs in line with inflation;
	(2)  what the trading and rental income thresholds for corporation tax exemption are for community amateur sports clubs; and what they would be if they had been uprated in line with inflation in each year since 2004.

Stephen Timms: Income exemption thresholds for corporation tax for community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) are, along with all other income thresholds for tax, kept under review.
	CASCs are exempt from corporation tax on any trading income up to £30,000 and on income from property up to £20,000. Prior to April 2004, the limits were £15,000 and £10,000 respectively.
	The following tables show what the thresholds would have been had they been increased in line with inflation.
	
		
			   Exemption for trading profits  
			   Threshold (£)  RPI (Percentage)  Inflation linked threshold (£) 
			 2004-05 30,000 — — 
			 2005-06 30,000 2.63 30,789 
			 2006-07 30,000 3.74 31,941 
			 2007-08 30,000 4.12 33,256 
			 2008-09 30,000 2.97 34,244 
		
	
	
		
			   Exemption for rental income  
			   Threshold (£)  RPI (Percentage)  Inflation linked threshold (£) 
			 2004-05 20,000 — — 
			 2005-06 20,000 2.63 20,526 
			 2006-07 20,000 3.74 21,294 
			 2007-08 20,000 4.12 22,171 
			 2008-09 20,000 2.97 22,829

VAT: Hospices

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to exempt hospices from payment of value added tax in respect of building extension works.

Stephen Timms: Under agreements with our European partners, signed by successive governments, we are not able to extend our existing VAT zero rates or introduce any new ones.

VAT: Retail Trade

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on retail businesses of the proposed change in the rate of value added tax in January 2010;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with retailers on changes to value added tax rates; and what the outcomes of those discussions were.

Stephen Timms: An assessment of the impact of the temporary reduction in the VAT standard rate, including the impact of returning the rate to 17.5 per cent., was published when the reduction was announced in November 2008 and is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr08_vat_1845.pdf
	Treasury Ministers and officials have since met with representatives from the retail sector on a number of occasions to discuss the temporary reduction in the VAT standard rate. Budget 2009 confirmed that the rate will return to 17.5 per cent. from 1 January 2010, allowing businesses to plan with certainty for that date.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will continue to discuss with retail and other businesses the practical issues associated with the change. To address the particular difficulties for businesses such as pubs and clubs that will remain open beyond midnight on 31 December, HMRC will allow a few hours' grace in which they may continue charging the 15 per cent. rate for a session that goes into the early hours of 1 January.

Welfare Tax Credits: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point have been (i) overpaid and (ii) underpaid tax credits (A) once, (B) twice and (C) three or more times in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The following table provides a snapshot of information on the number of families in Essex and in Castle Point constituency, with one, two and three or more underpayments or overpayments of tax credits between 2003-04 and 2006-07. This is based on families who had a 2006-07 tax credit award and lived in Essex and in Castle Point constituency as at 31 August 2006. Information for 2007-08 is not yet available at parliamentary constituency level, further information can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tc-delay-07-08.htm
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Regularity with which overpayment or underpayment of tax credits occurred  Number of awards underpaid  Number of awards overpaid 
			   Essex( 1)  Castle Point  Essex( 1)  Castle Point 
			 (A) Once 34.6 2.1 32.7 2.1 
			 (B) Twice 8.6 0.6 17.0 1.1 
			 (C) Three or more times 1.7 0.1 7.0 0.5 
			 (1) These figures include those of Castle Point parliamentary constituency.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1926W, on welfare tax credits: overpayments, how many individual cases of tax credit overpayments his Department has taken to court to seek recovery in each month since October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs initiates court action only as a last resort.
	The number of court actions initiated through county court (England and Wales)(1), sheriffs court (Scotland) and magistrates court (Northern Ireland) from January 2009 to March 2009 for the recovery of tax credit over-payments are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Court cases 
			 January 2009 1,226 
			 February 2009 636 
			 March 2009 338 
		
	
	(1 )For England and Wales these figures relate only to actions commenced centrally and exclude actions commenced by local HMRC debt pursuit offices where it is not possible to readily disaggregate tax credit cases from the total number of local initiated court actions.
	For information for November and December 2008, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) on 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1632W.

Welfare Tax Credits: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each constituency in the South West have been  (a) overpaid and  (b) underpaid tax credits (i) once, (ii) twice and (iii) three or more times since April 2003.

Stephen Timms: The following table provides a snapshot of information on the number of families in the South West region with one, two and three or more underpayments or overpayments of tax credits between 2003-04 and 2006-07. This is based on families who had a 2006-07 tax credit award and lived in the South West region as at 31 August 2006. Information for 2007-08 is not yet available at parliamentary constituency level, further information can be found at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tc-delay-07-08.htm
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Regularity with which overpayment or underpayment of tax credits occurred  Number of awards underpaid  Number of awards overpaid 
			 Once 150.1 143.1 
			 Twice 38.5 75.4 
			 Three or more times 7.4 33.5

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Exchequer has received in receipts from right to buy schemes in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1118W. Prior to 1 April 2004, receipts arising from the disposal of dwellings under right to buy (RTB) were retained by the local authorities, although authorities with debt set aside 75 per cent. of that receipt to repay their housing debt.
	Social homebuy sales have only been made since February 2007. Receipts arising from right to acquire (RTA) sales and social homebuy sales by housing associations are retained by registered social landlords (RSLs) and are reinvested in the provision of affordable housing. Local authorities are allowed to retain all social homebuy sales receipts, provided these are used for the purposes set out in statutory instrument 2006/521.
	The following table shows for each financial year since 2004-05 the total housing receipts received by the Department. Data on RTB and local authority social homebuy receipts received by the Department are not collected separately, but most of these arise from RTB sales. The table also shows the amount of those receipts received by the Department which were then passed on to the Exchequer.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Receipts received by the Department  Receipts passed on to the Exchequer 
			 2004-05 1,694 1,639 
			 2005-06 1,065 990 
			 2006-07 839 735 
			 2007-08 694 588 
			 2008-09(1) 158.2 134.3 
			 (1) Figures for 2008-09 are estimates. 
		
	
	The following table shows the amount invested by central Government in housing capital projects. It also shows how much of that was expenditure through the Home and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme on new build and acquisitions on both social rent and low cost home ownership schemes.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Total Department's capital investment in housing  Total expenditure through the Affordable Housing Programme 
			 2004-05 4,690 1,609 
			 2005-06 5,020 1,554 
			 2006-07 5,208 1,921 
			 2007-08 5,532 2,029 
			 2008-09(1) 6,006 2,625 
			 (1) Figures for 2008-09 are estimates.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Servants

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department has conducted research on levels of morale in the Civil Service in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: The civil service is strongly committed to researching levels of staff engagement and satisfaction. All Departments undertake regular staff surveys and recent results are available on the civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/who/statistics/staff-surveys.aspx
	Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Civil Servants

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Cabinet Office has issued guidance to civil servants in respect of taking minutes at formal meetings.

Tom Watson: Yes.

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the Directory of Civil Service Guidance.

Tom Watson: The "Directory of Civil Service Guidance" is already available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Civil Servants: Vacancies

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1057W, on civil servants: vacancies, which  (a) Departments and  (b) executive agencies do not advertise their job vacancies on the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1057W, on civil servants: vacancies, what the  (a) job title,  (b) salary range and  (c) name of the recruiting Department or agency was of each vacancy advertised within the Civil Service via the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway in the last 12 months;
	(3)  what criteria are used to determine whether a Civil Service job vacancy advertised via the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway is reserved for existing civil servants;
	(4)  what steps he plans to take to encourage greater use of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway.

Tom Watson: Government Departments and Executive agencies have delegated responsibility for recruitment advertising. All Departments have been asked to give an assurance that their vacancies will be advertised on the new online service. The Government are committed to making vacancies widely available to job seekers and are undertaking a programme of work to encourage greater use of the online facility.
	Departments and agencies determine whether a vacancy should be advertised internally within the civil service or externally. The civil service senior leadership committee must approve the mode of recruitment for the most senior civil service job vacancies. In all cases the decision to advertise is based on a range of factors, including workforce plans, talent management strategies and cost.
	A breakdown of the vacancies appearing online can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Civil Service: Recruitment

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what recent discussions the Cabinet Office has had with the Recruitment and Employers Confederation on the application of Government security clearance rules to candidates applying for Civil Service positions;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to recruitment agencies on security clearance procedures for recruitment to positions in the Civil Service.

Tom Watson: Policy officials in the Cabinet Office have regular discussions with the Recruitment and Employers Confederation (REC) on a range of issues: this includes the application of Government policy in respect of national security vetting for candidates for employment in the civil service as well as contractors and temporary staff recruited through employment agencies or recruitment companies.
	A copy of the relevant Cabinet Office guidance, posted on the REC's website and also issued as an Office of Government Commerce (OGC) Procurement Policy Notice (09/08) has been placed in the Library.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of IT products in each category procured for each division of his Department were compliant with the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: In the Cabinet Office, IT products are supplied under the Public Sector Flex framework contract. This contract contains a number of measures to ensure that all purchases comply with the energy saving objectives of the Greening Government ICT Strategy which include the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) 10 Downing Street under the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central (Jenny Willott) on 22 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 692-93W.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Kevin Brennan: Our records do not differentiate between mobile devices supplied to Ministers, special advisers and civil servants. The following departmentally provided equipment is recorded as follows:
	14 mobile phones have been reported lost since 2005 and three BlackBerry devices have been reported stolen since 2005.
	The following figures show an annual basis.
	
		
			   Mobile phones  BlackBerry devices 
			 2005 4 (1)— 
			 2006 4 0 
			 2007 3 0 
			 2008 2 3 
			 2009 1 0 
			 Total 14 3 
			 (1) Figures not available.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) its agency paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to (i) all staff and (ii) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Tom Watson: An element of the Cabinet Office's overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives. Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	Details of non-consolidated payments made in 2008-09 will only be available once the Department's annual report has been published.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many work placements his Department offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office arranges placements to and help young people better understand the workplace, promote itself as an employer of choice, enhance the image of the civil service and increase diversity.
	Records of how many work placements are offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Director of Digital Engagement

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what timetable has been set for the appointment of a Director of Digital Engagement; and to whom the Director will report once appointed.

Tom Watson: Andrew Stott has been appointed as Director of Digital Engagement and took up the post on 1 June 2009.
	The Director of Digital Engagement will report to the Permanent Secretary, Government Communications.

Emergency Services: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of emergency response facilities to floods; and what steps have been taken to improve such facilities since the floods of summer 2007.

Tom Watson: This was the subject of recommendation 44 of Sir Michael Pitt's review of the summer 2007 floods, which recommended that Category 1 and 2 responders should assess the effectiveness of their emergency response facilities and undertake any improvement works. In their response, the Government said that they would develop a check-list to help local responders to establish and assess the effectiveness of emergency facilities. This was done in December last year with publication of Parts One and Two of the "Expectation and Indicators of Good Practice Set for Category 1 and 2 Responders" which gives guidance on what is expected of responders in implementing the Civil Contingencies Act and wider capability building activity.
	The particular improvement recommended by Sir Michael Pitt was the incorporation of IT to support flood visualisation tools in Gold and Silver Commands. This measure was the subject of Pitt Review recommendation 36, the Government's response to which indicated that the necessary hardware and training will be in place during 2009 to make relevant flood visualisation data held in electronic map format available to Gold and Silver Commands. Progress in meeting this recommendation will be reported as part of the Government's next six-monthly progress report in June.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  whether the updated national recovery guidance will include guidance on pre-planned arrangements to meet the costs of recovery from flooding;
	(2)  by what date he expects the national recovery guidance to have been updated as recommended in the Pitt report on the floods of summer 2007; and whether the updated guidance will include guidance on  (a) local and  (b) central recovery reporting.

Tom Watson: The National Recovery Guidance was first published (online) in October 2007 and has been regularly updated since then, taking on board lessons from incidents and exercises, including recommendations from the Pitt Review.
	Guidance on pre-planned arrangements to meet the costs of recovery from flooding (and all other emergencies), and guidance on local and central recovery reporting, has been consulted on as part of a wider consultation on revisions to "Emergency Response and Recovery", the non-statutory guidance that accompanies the Civil Contingencies Act. This consultation closed on 24 April.
	The final revised version of "Emergency Response and Recovery" will be published later this year.
	Once "Emergency Response and Recovery" is published, the National Recovery Guidance will be updated to include the agreed guidance on pre-planned arrangements to meet the costs of recovery from flooding and guidance on local and central recovery reporting.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the National Resilience Forum on flooding has held its first meeting.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr. Stuart) on 15 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 1056-1057W. It should be noted that the Government agreed with Sir Michael Pitt that the National Resilience Forum should cover not just flood resilience, but include a wide range of other risks.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 402W, on Government departments: disclosure of information, what the figures are for each department responsible for the policy area in respect of which the information was disclosed, in each of the three years.

Tom Watson: Further to the answer given on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 402W, to the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central (Jenny Willott), the Cabinet Office does not hold a record by Department of unauthorised disclosures. There is no necessary connection between an unauthorised disclosure and the Department responsible for the policy in respect of the information disclosed.

Government Departments: Email

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether Government departments plan to make use of digital signatures when emailing members of the public.

Tom Watson: Government Departments use a number of different means of securing communications between themselves and members of the public. The appropriate method is adopted to suit the particular business needs of individual Government Departments. Such security and authentication regimes include measures such as traditional cryptography, Transport Layer Security and X.509 server certificates as well as digital signatures.
	Mandatory requirement 38 of the Security Policy Framework states that:
	"all ICT systems must have suitable identification and authentication controls to manage the risk of unauthorised access, enable auditing and the correct management of user accounts."
	This may include the use of digital signatures.

Government Departments: Internet

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Minister for Digital Engagement has taken to promote the use of blogs within Government in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: 12 months ago I launched the Power of Information Task Force to look at social media use within Government. As part of that work the Government has clarified that civil servants can blog and how they should act at
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/work/codes/participation-online.aspx
	accompanied by guidance from COI at
	http://www.coi.gov.uk/guidance.php?page=264
	The task force published its report on 2 February 2009 setting out 25 detailed recommendations on how Government should act online. The Government response of 13 May 2009 can be found on
	http://blogs.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/digitalengagement
	Copies of the documents have been placed in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will bring forward legislative proposals for a statutory cap on the number of special advisers within the Government.

Tom Watson: The Government's legislative proposals for the civil service, including special advisers, are set out in the Draft Constitutional Renewal Bill.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  with reference to the written ministerial statement, 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS, on special advisers, and with reference to paragraph 72 of the Cabinet Office memorandum to the House of Lords Communications select committee, 14 October 2008, which special advisers are employed primarily in the area of communications;
	(2)  which of the special advisers named are employed primarily in the area of communication.

Tom Watson: Special advisers' duties and responsibilities are set out in code of conduct for special advisers. It is for appointing Ministers to decide on the allocation of responsibilities in respect of individual special advisers.
	Copies of the 'Code of Conduct for Special Advisers' have been placed in the Library of the House, and are available at
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/special_advisers/code/code.aspx

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what requirements there are on special advisers to declare  (a) their financial interests and  (b) hospitality received.

Tom Watson: The requirements for civil servants, including special advisers, in relation to the declaration of financial interests and hospitality are set out in the civil service code and civil service management code, copies of which are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Building Schools for the Future

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding was allocated for the rebuilding of school buildings in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Teesside and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year from 2009-10 to 2011-12.

Jim Knight: The current forecasts of capital investment in schools in England, the North East, and Teesside local authorities, in 2009-10 and 2010-11 are set out in the table. These figures will be subject to change, depending on the progress of individual projects. They also take account of the recent fiscal stimulus initiative, which allowed authorities and schools to draw forward allocations from 2010-11 into 2009-10. Details of investment at constituency level are not held centrally. Allocations for 2011-12, and beyond, will be subject to the outcome of the next spending review.
	
		
			  Forecast capital investment (excluding private finance initiative) 
			  £ million 
			   2009-10  2010-11 
			 England 7,000 7,000 
			  O f which:   
			 North East 400 306 
			  O f which:   
			 Darlington 17 11 
			 Hartlepool 10 39 
			 Middlesbrough 54 53 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 13 8 
			 Stockton on Tees 14 13 
		
	
	The figures above exclude the private finance initiative. At the national level, £1.32 billion of PFI credits are available for allocation in each year as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme. For North East local authorities with BSF projects, PFI credits totalling £278 million have been agreed. In addition, of the local authorities listed above, Redcar and Cleveland is likely to have a PFI element as part of its BSF project but this is still under discussion.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Standards

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department collects on the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method ratings of schools completed under the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: The Department collects details of the total numbers of schools that have registered for a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) assessment, along with the numbers of certificates that have been issued for each BREEAM rating. Schools within Building Schools for the Future are not separately identified within this data. At November 2008, 1,085 schools had registered for a BREEAM assessment and 28 had received a certified rating. Of the schools which received a rating, 17 have achieved a BREEAM rating of 'very good' and four have achieved a BREEAM rating of 'excellent'.

Child Care: Qualifications

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of the childcare workforce had a  (a) degree level,  (b) level 3 and  (c) level 2 qualification in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff working with children and young people. The proportion of the early years and child care work force with degree level, level 3 and level 2 qualifications is as detailed in the following tables.
	
		
			  Staff qualifications held by all paid staff - childcare providers( 1) 
			  Percentage 
			   Full day care  Full day care in children's centres 
			   2007  2006  2005  2003  2007  2006 
			 Level 2 16 14 15 19 10 11 
			 Level 3 61 64 54 52 61 62 
			 Level 6 3 3 3 n/a 7 9 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Sessional  After school clubs 
			   2007  2006  2005  2003  2007  2006  2003 
			 Level 2 18 18 18 16 21 22 18 
			 Level 3 52 51 48 39 43 43 32 
			 Level 6 3 3 3 n/a 4 4 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Holiday clubs  Childminders 
			   2007  2006  2003  2007  2006 
			 Level 2 21 19 14 8 5 
			 Level 3 40 41 24 36 33 
			 Level 6 7 6 n/a 2 2 
			 (1) Due to the difference in the way data were reported in 2003, it has not been possible to provide comparable data for certain levels of qualification. There have been changes to the way that the levels are defined since the previous survey in 2003. Current levels 4, 5 and 6 (as defined above) were previously all part of level 4. Current levels 7 and 8 were previously part of level 5.  Note: Base: All paid childcare staff 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003. All childminders 2007, 2006.

Child Minding: Manpower

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many registered childminders there were in each quarter in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Number( 1, 2 ) of registered child minders for children under eight years of age, position at each quarter from 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Financial year 
			  As at end:  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 June 70,000 72,700 70,900 71,600 68,300 
			 September 70,200 71,900 71,100 71,200 67,400 
			 December 72,000 71,000 71,500 71,500 65,800 
			 March 72,400 70,200 71,600 69,900 64,600 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.  (2) Data Source: Ofsted. 
		
	
	New Registers, the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register (including its Voluntary Register), were introduced under the Childcare Act 2006 as part of the Government's reforms to simplify early years regulation and inspection. From 1 September 2008, Ofsted started to record providers in line with these new legal requirements. As a result of the new registers, data from September 2008 are not directly comparable with previous data and the reporting periods for 2008-09 are out of step with previous years.
	
		
			  Number( 1, 2 ) of registered child minders for children under eight years of age, position at each quarter in 2008-09 
			  As at end:  Financial year 2008-09 
			 June 64,300 
			 August(3) 63,600 
			 December(4) 61,900 
			 March 60,900 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.  (2) Data Source: Ofsted.  (3) Latest position before new arrangements introduced in September 2008, therefore coverage is up to end August only.  (4) First position since new arrangements introduced in September 2008.

Children in Care

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were in care in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The information has been placed in the House Libraries.

Children in Care

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of children in care were placed with special guardians in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of applications by local authorities for special guardianship have been accepted by his Department in each year since 2001.

Beverley Hughes: Applications for special guardianship orders are made directly to the courts. Special guardianship was introduced in 2005.
	Information on the number and proportion of children in care who were placed with special guardians in the last 12 months can be found in table D1, taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 23/2008) entitled 'Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008'. This shows the number of looked after children who have ceased to be looked after at 31 March for 2004 to 2008.
	The SFR is located at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000810/index.shtml

Children in Care

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children in care have not been assigned a legal guardian; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) has 9,060 ongoing care cases, of which 635 are currently unallocated to CAFCASS guardians. This figure represents 7.0 per cent. of the total care workload. For statistical purposes, CAFCASS counts the number of cases which can include multiple applications and multiple children.
	The increase in care cases has had an effect on the availability of Guardians. CAFCASS has therefore put a Duty guardian scheme in place so that urgent work is covered, and a solicitor for the child is always appointed in each case to look after a child's interests.

Children in Care: Per Capita Costs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average weekly cost to the public purse of housing a looked-after child in an independent children's home was in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The average weekly cost of accommodating a looked-after child in an independent children's home is not collected centrally by this Department. However, information obtained from the Office for National Statistics shows the average weekly unit cost of a child in a children's home, (including independent homes) is £2,402.

Children: Abuse

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what correspondence he has had with  (a) the Church of England,  (b) Kent police and  (c) Kent County Council on allegations of abuse at Kendall House; what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the matter; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether allegations of child abuse at Kendall House have been investigated by his Department and its predecessors on any occasion;
	(3)  what steps he has taken following the recent allegations of child abuse at Kendall House.

Beverley Hughes: The Department takes any allegations of abuse very seriously indeed. The Government commissioned two major reviews into historical abuse—Sir William Utting's report 'People Like Us' (1997) and Sir Ronald Waterhouse's report 'Lost in Care' (2000). Kendall House closed in the 1980s, but since then tighter controls have been put in place which address all the issues raised by the allegations about Kendall House. The Government changed the regulatory framework and brought in the Care Standards Act 2000, which focuses on safeguarding children and promoting their welfare.
	Providers and managers of children's homes must now be registered with Ofsted and comply with the Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and National Minimum Standards. These regulations are much more extensive than those which applied in the mid 80s and include specific standards on the control and issuing of medicines.
	There is no evidence that the allegations made about inappropriate use of drugs at Kendall House were a widespread problem. Kendall House was inspected prior to the homes closure and the use of drugs in the home was part of that inspection. Allegations about Kendall House were also subject to investigation by the police and local government ombudsmen in 1994.
	The Secretary of State has had no representations from the Church of England, Kent police or Kent county council on Kendall House. The Secretary of State wrote on 30 April to the Secretary of State for Health about this matter. The Secretary of State has also asked the Permanent Secretary to look into this matter and on his advice has concluded that, on balance there is not sufficient justification for a further inquiry on public interest grounds at this point.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 671-2W, on children: protection 
	(1)  how many outstanding serious case reviews were followed up in advance of the last biennial overview report;
	(2)  on what date he received each of the 118 serious case reviews subsequent to 31 March 2007;
	(3)  on which dates he received each serious case review in the period 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2007.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 29 April 2009
	Officials follow up all outstanding copies of serious case review reports. We do not hold a record of the dates on which copies of the serious case review reports that have been passed to researchers for inclusion in the 2005-07 biennial overview report. The following table sets out the date of receipt of copies of the serious case review reports received subsequent to those included in the 2005-07 biennial overview report as at 22 April 2009.
	
		
			  Local authority  Date copy of anonymised full SCR received( 1)  as at 22 April 2009 
			 Barnet 4 November 2008 
			   
			 Birmingham 17 March 2008 
			  17 March 2008 
			  23 April 2008 
			  8 October 2008 
			  20 March 2009 
			  20 March 2009 
			   
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 25 July 2008 
			  16 October 2008 
			  8 December 2008 
			  8 December 2008 
			   
			 Bournemouth UA 3 November 2008 
			  6 November 2008 
			  1 December 2008 
			  22 April 2009 
			   
			 Bradford 16 October 2008 
			  16 October 2008 
			   
			 Bristol, City of UA 15 July 2008 
			   
			 Bromley 16 December 2008 
			  22 August 2008 
			 Calderdale 20 October 2008 
			  22 December 2008 
			   
			 Cambridgeshire 16 February 2009 
			   
			 Camden 3 October 2008 
			  20 January 2009 
			   
			 Coventry 21 July 2008 
			  21 July 2008 
			  21 July 2008 
			  27 March 2009 
			   
			 Croydon 27 February 2008 
			  27 February 2008 
			   
			 Cumbria 10 February 2008 
			   
			 Devon 3 November 2008 
			   
			 Doncaster 25 February 2009 
			   
			 Dudley 20 February 2009 
			   
			 Durham 28 May 2008 
			   
			 East Sussex 12 February 2009 
			   
			 Enfield 8 October 2008 
			  27 January 2009 
			  30 January 2009 
			   
			 Essex 15 December 2008 
			  14 April 2009 
			   
			 Gloucestershire 12 February 2009 
			   
			 Halton UA 16 March 2009 
			   
			 Hampshire 18 March 2008 
			  28 July 2008 
			  18 August 2008 
			  2 April 2009 
			   
			 Haringey 12 November 2008 
			  3 March 2009 
			   
			 Hounslow 4 November 2008 
			   
			 Isle of Wight UA 6 May 2008 
			   
			 Kent 21 April 2008 
			  21 April 2008 
			  21 April 2008 
			  23 September 2008 
			  5 December 2008 
			  5 December 2008 
			 Kingston upon Thames 7 March 2008 
			  4 November 2008 
			   
			 Kirklees 29 September 2008 
			  8 October 2008 
			  14 April 2009 
			   
			 Lambeth 4 November 2008 
			   
			 Manchester 3 June 2008 
			   
			 Milton Keynes UA 18 February 2009 
			   
			 Newham 11 February 2009 
			   
			 North Tyneside 1 December 2008 
			   
			 North Yorkshire 11 January 2009 
			   
			 Northamptonshire 13 June 2008 
			  14 October 2008 
			   
			 Nottinghamshire 19 June 2008 
			   
			 Oxfordshire 3 November 2008 
			   
			 Plymouth UA 6 October 2008 
			   
			 Poole UA 25 November 2008 
			   
			 Portsmouth UA 31 December 2008 
			   
			 Reading UA 14 October 2008 
			   
			 Redbridge 8 October 2008 
			   
			 Rochdale 18 December 2007 
			  25 February 2008 
			   
			 Salford 8 April 2009 
			   
			 Sandwell 21 July 2008 
			  1 December 2008 
			  8 December 2008 
			   
			 Sefton 1 August 2008 
			  1 August 2008 
			   
			 Sheffield 19 November 2008 
			  25 November 2008 
			   
			 Somerset 06 January 2009 
			  06 January 2009 
			   
			 South Gloucestershire UA 17 April 2009 
			   
			 South Tyneside 15 May 2008 
			  21 May 2008 
			  16 September 2008 
			   
			 Southwark 24 January 2008 
			  6 March 2009 
			   
			 St. Helens 6 March 2009 
			  6 March 2009 
			   
			 Stockport 4 July 2008 
			   
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 6 April 2009 
			   
			 Suffolk 12 January 2008 
			  1 December 2008 
			  5 February 2008 
			  25 February 2008 
			   
			 Sunderland 20 February 2009 
			   
			 Surrey 8 November 2007 
			  20 March 2009 
			  20 March 2009 
			   
			 Thurrock UA 1 June 2008 
			   
			 Torbay UA 2 April 2009 
			   
			 Tower Hamlets 1 December 2008 
			   
			 Wakefield 1 May 2008 
			  13 January 2009 
			  24 March 2009 
			   
			 Waltham Forest 31 October 2008 
			   
			 Westminster 24 February 2009 
			   
			 Wolverhampton 19 August 2008 
			   
			 York UA 11 January 2009 
			 (1) Multiple dates indicate more than one SCR report

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the remit is of Sir Roger Singleton in his role as Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children; and for what term Sir Roger Singleton has been appointed.

Beverley Hughes: As stated on page 7, paragraph 17 of 'The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming', published on 6 May, Sir Roger Singleton has been appointed for a period of three years from 1 April 2009. His remit is set out in the action plan which states that his immediate priorities have been to advise on the development of the Government's action plan and the remit and mode of operation of the new National Safeguarding Delivery Unit. Sir Roger also issued a letter on 5 May that further elaborates on his remit by setting out his early priorities. The action plan and Sir Roger's letter are available at:
	www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/laming

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take with the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Secretary of State for Justice to implement Lord Laming's recommendations on the setting of explicit strategic priorities for the protection of children and young people.

Beverley Hughes: As explained on page 29, point 1, of "The Protection of Children in England: Action Plan—"The Government's Response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Ministry of Justice will work together on strategic priorities for the front line and ensure effective co-ordination through a new ministerial sub-group and the new cross-Government National Safeguarding Delivery Unit. As set out on page 6, in paragraph 16 of the action plan, Sir Roger Singleton, the Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children, will advise Government on strategic priorities and the effective implementation of policy and report annually to Parliament on safeguarding progress, including the delivery of the recommendations from Lord Laming's report.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who has been appointed to the expert group established to assist Sir Roger Singleton in his role on the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit.

Beverley Hughes: The membership of the new Chief Adviser's Expert Group is set out on page 7 of "The Protection of Children in England: Action Plan—The Government's Response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to publish new targets for safeguarding children.

Beverley Hughes: As stated on page 31, recommendation 4, of "The Protection of Children in England: Action Plan—The Government's Response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May, subject to the passage of legislation, new statutory targets for safeguarding children will be developed with stakeholders by autumn 2009 and published and implemented as soon as possible thereafter, in consultation with local partners.

Children: Protection

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Barnsley to deal with access cases.

Beverley Hughes: The role of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) in contact cases is to advise the court on what is in the child's/children's best interest and safety; but it is for the court to decide on the most appropriate contact, looking at the individual circumstances of case.
	Where courts in Barnsley have requested a CAFCASS report in respect of contact applications they have been completed, on average, within 17 weeks in 2008-09. CAFCASS have agreed with the courts in Barnsley to reduce the time taken to deal with these requests to 12 weeks from 1 April 2009.

Children: Social Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit will have powers to  (a) examine local authority documentation and  (b) intervene in children's services departments in local authorities.

Beverley Hughes: The remit of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit is explained on pages 7-11 of 'The Protection of Children in England: Action Plan—The Government's Response to Lord Laming', published on 6 May. This sets out that the unit will work with Ministers, local authorities, other national partners and with Government regional offices to challenge and support every Children's Trust in the country to deliver the best possible arrangements for keeping children safe. Regional Government office staff will work as part of the unit and, as is the case now, will need to examine some local authority documentation in their role of providing support and challenge. The power to intervene in the case of children's services departments in local authorities remains unchanged and rests with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the number of children in households with a projected annual income below £30,810 in 2009-10 who are not in receipt of education maintenance allowance.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) does not hold information on the household income of all households with children. Therefore it is not possible to calculate how many young people aged 16-19, who are participating in provision that meets the criteria for attracting EMA, could be eligible for EMA based on their household income but do not claim it.
	We are currently working to improve our understanding of EMA eligibility through analysis of longitudinal survey data and this analysis will be made available in due course. However I can confirm that around 45 per cent. of 16 to 18-year-olds in full time education currently receive EMA and that, as of the week ending 15 May 2009, 564,897 young people had received an EMA payment so far in this current academic year.

Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the funds to be allocated by his Department via the devolved formula capital programme in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: My most recent estimate of the funds to be allocated by the Department via the Devolved Formula Capital Programme direct to schools is £1,372 million in 2009-10 and £591 million in 2010-11. No decision has been taken concerning allocations beyond 2010-11, which is the last year in the current spending review period.
	The allocation in 2009-10 includes an advance of 40 per cent. of the indicative funding for 2010-11, with a corresponding reduction in the 2010-11 figure. The advance is part of more than £900 million advanced to local authorities and schools, to stimulate local business and support employment. The 2010-11 allocation will be affected by updated pupil number figures.

Health Education: Sex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of effects of sex and relationships education on rates of  (a) pregnancy and  (b) abortion in those under the age of (i) 16 and (ii) 18 years; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The recent review of sex and relationships education (SRE) in schools reported that the provision of SRE was patchy and that many young people were not receiving the support they need to make safe and responsible choices about sex and relationships.
	As a consequence, we have taken the decision, subject to public consultation, to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education (including SRE) statutory. This will raise the priority of PSHE education in schools and ensure a more consistent offer to all young people. In addition, we are taking action to address the key delivery challenges identified during the SRE review, which includes improving the skills and confidence of those who deliver PSHE.
	Teenage pregnancy rates are influenced by a range of factors. Increased risk of teenage pregnancy is strongly associated with poverty and poor educational attainment.
	In addition, teenage pregnancy rates are influenced by: the quality of SRE young people receive; their access to contraceptive and sexual health (CASH) advice services when they become sexually active; and the extent to which parents talk to their children about sex and relationships. International evidence, as well as evidence from local areas that have made most progress in reducing under-18 conception rates since the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy was launched, shows that comprehensive, age-appropriate SRE, alongside easy access to CASH services, brings down rates.

Middlegate Children's Home

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission a review of the future funding of the Middlegate Children's Home in Lincolnshire.

Beverley Hughes: The Government do not fund children's homes directly. It is the responsibility of local authorities to commission places in children's homes and to assess the need for, and availability of, sufficient children's home provision. Local authorities can obtain support in this role from the DCSF Commissioning Support Programme which will offer Children's Trusts bespoke support based on their needs and focus on key areas of concern.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to be fully operational;
	(2)  who will be responsible for appointing staff to the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit;
	(3)  which experts from  (a) central Government,  (b) local agencies and  (c) the voluntary sector will be appointed to the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit; and how many regional representatives that unit will have;
	(4)  what the planned budget is of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit; and from which departmental budgets the Unit will be funded.

Beverley Hughes: Pages 7-11 of "The Protection of Children in England: Action Plan—The Government's Response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May, included an explanation of the steps to be taken to establish the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit (NSDU), and noted that it would be operational by 1 July. This makes clear that the unit will be hosted within the Department for Children, Schools and Families and will include expert staff from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department of Health as well as local agencies and the voluntary sector. Regional Government office staff will also work as part of the unit.
	The precise number of staff, appointment arrangements and budget are in the process of being determined.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families will lead overall on the unit's establishment, working closely with the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department of Health.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to make its first annual report to Parliament;
	(2)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to have developed guidance on referral and assessment systems for children affected by  (a) domestic violence,  (b) adult mental health problems and  (c) drug and alcohol misuse;
	(3)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to  (a) set and  (b) publish a timetable for the implementation of Lord Laming's recommendations on safeguarding children.

Beverley Hughes: "The Protection of Children in England: Action Plan—The Government's Response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May, states that the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit (NSDU) will support Sir Roger Singleton, the chief adviser on the safety of children, in making his annual report to Parliament on progress on safeguarding and that his first annual report will be made in April 2010. Page 37 of the response sets out that the NSDU will publish its work programme by September 2009 and that the Government expect the production of guidance for the referral and assessment of children affected by domestic violence, adult mental health problems, and drugs and alcohol misuse to be identified as an early priority. The Government's action plan published on 6 May also includes a timetable for the implementation of all Lord Laming's recommendations.

Pupils

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what  (a) financial and  (b) other assistance his Department gives to local authorities in which numbers of children on primary school rolls rapidly increase.

Jim Knight: holding answer 15 May 2009
	To provide for growth in pupil numbers the Department has allocated over £1.2 billion capital funding to fund extra school places between 2008-09 and 2010-11. Because primary pupil numbers are rising faster in some areas than previously anticipated, the Department are currently considering what additional support it can offer those authorities in greatest need.
	School revenue funding to local authorities is based on actual pupil numbers recorded in the January School Census. For 2009-10, an authority's funding will be based on pupil numbers from January 2009. As a result, increases in pupil numbers up to that point will be reflected in authorities' revenue funding. In addition, authorities that have significant increases in pupils between April and September of each year may be eligible for an exceptional circumstances grant. For each authority experiencing an increase in overall pupil numbers above 2.5 per cent. between the January and autumn censuses, the grant will be an amount equal to 7/12 of their Guaranteed Unit of Funding per pupil for each pupil above the 2.5 per cent. threshold.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in England have fewer than 30 pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Schools with fewer than 30 pupils( 1) . As at January 2009 (provisional)—England 
			   All schools  Schools with fewer than 30 pupils 
			 Maintained nursery 437 5 
			 Maintained primary(2) 17,041 133 
			 State-funded secondary(2,3) 3,347 0 
			 Maintained special(4) 984 58 
			 Non-maintained special 72 12 
			 Pupil referral units 456 297 
			 Independent 2,348 479 
			 (1) Includes solely registered pupils and pupils with other providers (PRUs only). (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Includes CTCs and academies. (4) Includes general hospital schools.  Source:School Census

Schools: Buildings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in  (a) Leicester and  (b) England (i) received new school buildings, (ii) were substantially repaired and (iii) were housed in buildings considered unfit for purpose in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on repairs to school buildings in (A) England and (B) Leicester in each such year; and what estimate he has made of the average cost of providing a new (1) primary and (2) secondary school building in the last five years.

Jim Knight: Where repair expenditure on schools relates to the maintenance of existing assets, it is financed out of revenue funding. Where work involves new buildings or existing buildings are enhanced, it is financed from capital funding. The Department make revenue and capital allocations to local authorities and schools and relies on them to commission work in accordance with their asset management plans.
	The Department carried out a survey of new and refurbished schools in July 2007, and the results, for England and Leicester, are shown in the following tables. The Department does not maintain records of buildings that are unfit for purpose.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  England 
			 New Additional 26 27 21 32 
			 Rebuilt Existing 101 144 175 161 
			 Refurbished > 80 per cent. 52 81 57 94 
			 Refurbished 50 per cent. to 80 per cent. 162 193 161 176 
			 Total 341 445 414 463 
			  
			  Leicester LA 
			 New Additional — 1 — 1 
			 Rebuilt existing — — 1 2 
			 Refurbished > 80 per cent. — — — — 
			 Refurbished 50 per cent. to 80 per cent. 3 — 1 1 
			 Total 3 1 2 4 
		
	
	School capital allocations by the Department in respect of England and Leicester for each of the last five years are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2004-05  Outturn  2005-06  Outturn  2006-07  Outturn  2007-08  Estimated outturn  2008-09  Projection 
			 England 4,132 4,581 4,565 5,274 5,964 
			 Leicester 18.3 25.5 8.7 7.5 14.8 
		
	
	The England allocation figures are taken from table 8.3 of the 2008 departmental annual report.
	In addition, Leicester is in Wave 1 of the Building Schools for the Future programme, with a secondary school programme estimated to cost some £256 million.
	The Department does not maintain an estimate of the average cost of providing a new primary school or secondary school, year by year. This is due to the fact that costs vary greatly according to size and type of school, local cost factors, site constraints and other abnormal factors, and whether VAT is payable.
	Regarding the strategic Building Schools for the Future programme, the average cost of a new secondary school across the programme has been approximately £26 million.

Schools: Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many complaints have been made about schools to Ofsted by parents resident in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 14 May 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Ofsted's powers to consider complaints about schools became effective in April 2007; we do not hold data relating to complaints about schools prior to this. Ofsted may consider a complaint about a school from any person, not just a registered parent. This means the data below may include complaints from persons other than parents. Our systems do not record where a parent resides.
	Since April 2007 Ofsted has received 88 complaints about schools located in the Essex local authority area. Four of these complaints were about schools located in the Castle Point parliamentary constituency. Annual totals are indicated in the table below. The reporting period for each year is from April to March.
	
		
			  Table A: Complaints about schools received by Ofsted 
			   Essex  Castle Point 
			 2007-08 43 1 
			 2008-09 41 3 
			 2009 (since April) 4 0 
		
	
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Schools: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on field forces in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Department has recently undertaken a review of its field forces working with local authorities (LAs) and children's trusts. The term field force has been used in a wide sense to cover all advisers funded or jointly funded by DCSF to work directly with LAs and children's trust partners. This includes NDPB staff where relevant, directly contracted groups of advisers, advisers who are co-located with the Government Office Children and Learner Teams and sections of DCSF Head Office directly supporting LAs e.g. Youth Task Force. In 2008-09, the costs of these advisers were around £90 million. Comparable information for every year since 1997 is not available.

Secure Children's Homes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which secure children's homes in England and Wales  (a) closed in each of the last 12 years and  (b) are scheduled for closure in the next 12 months; what funds his Department has allocated to all secure children's homes in 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) does not maintain a central record of children's homes in England and Wales that have closed in each of the last 12 years.
	Following the announcement of the new Youth Justice Board (YJB) contracts, there are four secure children's homes in England currently contracted with the YJB who will not be offered a new contract. These are Kyloe House, Northumberland; Sutton Place, Hull; Atkinson Unit, Exeter; and, Orchard Lodge, London. DCSF and the YJB will work with those units to agree transition arrangements which support the sustainable provision of welfare beds, while the YJB moves to its contracted total of 191 beds by March 2010. Any decision taken on the future of each home will be made by the relevant local authority or, in the case of the privately owned Orchard Lodge, Glen Care Group Ltd.
	DCSF will continue to build on its previous capital investment by investing up to a further £50 million in the sector over the next four years to significantly improve the accommodation and facilities available in secure children's homes. The bulk of that sum will be made available over 2009/10 and 2010/11. Further funding thereafter will be subject to the next spending review.
	DCSF is currently in negotiations with the secure children's homes with regards to the precise level of funding required this year for major capital improvement works.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many representations he has received on the funding allocations made by the Learning and Skills Council to schools for post-16 education in 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 24 April 2009
	We have been working across Government to identify additional funding for the recent unanticipated surge in demand for education and training in part due to these exceptional economic times. Thanks to the £655 million funding announcement in the Budget, we will be able to deliver this and more, and fund learning for an additional 54,500 young people this year and next. The funding is split £251 million in 2009-10 and £404 million in 2010-11 and will fund an additional 54,500 learners each year. This will mean that we have funding for at least 1,550,000 for 2009/10 and 2010/11.
	This will mean we have quickly reassured school and college leaders who had previously feared their financial allocations would not fund their growth in the number of young people wanting to continue learning. It will also mean that we can fund a further 20,000 young people who have yet to make their choice of learning place.
	The LSC are currently working through the final 2009-10 school sixth-form and FE college allocations and will be writing out to them as soon as possible. At close of business on 21 April 2009 the Department had received 573 written representations regarding the post 16 funding allocations for 2009-10.

Social Services: Children

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many serious case reviews there have been regarding the death of a child in Essex in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: I refer my hon. Member to the reply given on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 442W. This indicates that, of all notifications received between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 of serious child care incidents, one Serious Case Review had been initiated where a child died and abuse or neglect was known or suspected to be a factor in Essex.
	Data prior to 1 April 2007 are not available in this form. However, the Department commissions an academic biennial analysis of all Serious Case Reviews to help ensure lessons are clearly identified and disseminated.

Social Services: Children

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what funding his Department has allocated for the implementation of the latest Laming Report's recommendations; and from what budgets such funding has been drawn;
	(2)  what funding his Department plans to provide for child protection as a result of the Laming inquiry and the Baby P case.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are investing £130 million in social work reform over the full spending review period, of which, £57.8 million is additional new investment announced on 6 May 2009 as part of the Government's detailed response to Lord Laming's Report. This represents a substantial commitment to improve the recruitment and training and development of social workers and will significantly increase the capacity of the system to implement change immediately.

Social Services: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  by what date he expects a usability review of each integrated children's system and related local authority infrastructure and implantation system to have been completed;
	(2)  from how many local authorities the Social Work Task Force took documentary evidence as part of its work on the integrated children's system;
	(3)  whether local authorities will have discretion to opt out of the national integrated children's system recommended by Lord Laming in his report on Safeguarding Children.

Beverley Hughes: Lord Laming's report "The Protection of Children in England" identified a number of concerns in relation to the Integrated Children's System. Lord Laming recommended that the Government should, in consultation with social workers and their managers, take steps to improve the utility of the system to support them in their role and to ensure appropriate transfer of essential information across organisational boundaries. Lord Laming also recommended that the DCSF should undertake a feasibility study with a view to rolling out a single national Integrated Children's System better able to address the concerns his report identifies, or find alternative ways to assert stronger leadership over local systems and their providers.
	In immediate response to Lord Laming's report, the DCSF asked the Social Work Task Force to accelerate its advice in relation to the Integrated Children's System and to advise how Lord Laming's recommendations in should be taken forward.
	The task force's advice was informed by consultation with practitioners, managers and IT implementation staff at events around the country, by a number of visits to local authorities and by 649 submissions of on line evidence from individual practitioners and managers, and local authorities. It was set out in the task force's first report on 5 May.
	As set out in "The Protection of Children of England: action plan", the DCSF has accepted the task force's recommendations in relation to steps it can take immediate to improve usability of the system and to support greater local leadership. We will shortly be writing to local authorities to set out detailed next steps, including explaining the arrangements and time scales for usability reviews of each local system.
	The Government have also accepted the task force's advice that the future model for the Integrated Children's System should be locally owned and locally led, within a strong and simplified national framework which reflects the statutory requirements for children's social care, rather than a single national system.
	In line with Lord Laming's recommendations, we are also taking forward a national study into issues relating to interoperability of ICS with other IT systems and how this can best be supported.
	We expect the task force to make more detailed recommendations to us, in October, about the reforms necessary to support high quality social work practice. The Government will consider any further improvements to the Integrated Children's System as part of the comprehensive programme of reform for social work which we have committed to bringing forward in the autumn.

Social Workers: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time children's social workers there were in each local authority in each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: Detailed information on all staff, including children's social workers, directly employed by social services departments is collected through the Personal Social Services staff of Social Services Departments return (SSDS001) which was introduced in 1993 by the Department of Health. In 2004-05 responsibility for the collection of this data passed to the NHS Information Centre for health and social care. These data have been published on an annual basis with breakdown by local authority available in the supporting annexes published alongside each report.
	Reports published from 2006 onwards are available on the NHS Information Centre website here:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/social-care/childrens-social-care
	Reports published between 1996 and 2005 are available on the Department of Health website here:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/Statisticalworkforce/DH_4000233

Sure Start: Rotherham

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Rotherham have enrolled in Sure Start in each year since 2003.

Beverley Hughes: Rotherham local authority currently has 21 Sure Start Children's Centres offering access to services to around 14,000 children under five and their families. The Department does not hold information centrally on how many children in Rotherham have enrolled in Sure Start in each year since 2003.

Sure Start: Warrington

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Warrington have enrolled in Sure Start in each year since 2003.

Beverley Hughes: Warrington local authority has 11 Sure Start Children's Centres offering access to services to around 11,500 children under five and their families.
	The Department does not hold information centrally on how many children in Warrington have enrolled in Sure Start in each year since 2003.

Teachers: Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers took early retirement benefits under the Teachers' Pension Scheme in the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number of teachers who were awarded early retirement benefits from the Teachers' Pension Scheme in England and Wales in each year from 2003-04 to 2007-08, the latest year for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Teachers awarded early retirement benefits( 1)  from the Teachers' Pension Scheme, 2003-04 to 2007-08, England and Wales 
			   Local authority maintained schools  Other establishments( 2)  Total 
			 2007-08(3) 8,800 2,170 10,970 
			 2006-07(3) 8,690 2,300 11,000 
			 2005-06 8,140 2,160 10,300 
			 2004-05 8,250 2,030 10,280 
			 2003-04 7,370 1,710 9,080 
			 (1) Includes, teachers retiring under the actuarially reduced, premature and ill-health retirement arrangements. Under phased retirement arrangements some teachers will remain in teaching service.  (2) Other establishments are academies, CTCs, sixth-form colleges, other FE colleges, and independent and HE institutions that are members of the Teachers' Pensions Scheme.  (3) Provisional.   Note:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Pensioner Statistical System and Database of Teacher Records.

Teachers: Plymouth

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) teachers and  (b) classroom assistants were employed in schools in Plymouth, Sutton (i) in 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers and teaching assistants employed in local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and pupil referral units in Plymouth, Sutton constituency in January 1997 and 2008.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent teachers( 1)  and teaching assistants( 2)  in local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and pupil referral units 
			  Years: January 1997 and 2008, coverage: Sutton, Plymouth constituency 
			   1997  2008 
			 Teachers 550 650 
			 Teaching assistants 50 240 
			 (1) Includes qualified and unqualified teachers. (2) 'Teaching assistants' include teaching assistants, higher level teaching assistants (2008), special needs support staff and minority ethnic pupil support staff.  Notes: 1. Excludes academies and city technology colleges. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Teachers: Vetting

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons a teacher may not be required to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Under the School Staffing (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 as amended, it is mandatory for CRB Enhanced Disclosures to be obtained on all newly appointed school staff. 'Newly appointed' is defined as meaning anyone who within the three months before his or her appointment has not worked in:
	a school in England in a post which brought him or her into regular contact with children or any post they were appointed to since 12 May 2006; or
	an FE college in England in a position which involved the provision of education and regularly caring for, training, supervising, or being in sole charge of children or young people under the age of 18.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Regional Spatial Strategies

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for further reviews of regional spatial strategies; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) have been published for all regions with the exception of the south-west where we expect to publish shortly and the west midlands who are currently holding an examination in public.
	All regional planning bodies have agreed timetables for further reviews and I have put details in the Library. (Once the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill receives Royal Assent and its provisions are commenced all existing Regional Spatial Strategies, together with Regional Economic Strategies, will become Regional Strategies.)

Regional Spatial Strategies

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for future reviews of regional spatial strategies; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) have been published for all regions with the exception of the south-west where we expect to publish shortly and the west midlands who are currently holding an examination in public.
	All regional planning bodies have agreed timetables for further reviews and I have put details in the Library.

Regional Spatial Strategies

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for further reviews of regional spatial strategies.

Margaret Beckett: Regional spatial strategies (RSS) have been published for all regions with the exception of the South West where we expect to publish shortly and the West Midlands who are currently holding an examination in public.
	All regional planning bodies have agreed timetables for further reviews and I have put details in the Library.

Retail Park: Kirkby

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to receive the planning inspectors' report on proposals for development of a retail park in Kirkby; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Planning Inspector's report is due to be received early in July.

Home Information Packs

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make an assessment of the effects of home information packs on the housing market since their implementation.

Iain Wright: Independent research into the impact of home information packs was undertaken by Europe Economics. The implementation of HIPs is being kept under review and an evaluation of the HIPs programme is currently planned for 2010 by updating 'The HIPs Baseline Research Report'.

Business Rates

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the change in liabilities on small firms arising from arrangements for transitional relief for business rates in  (a) England and  (b) Bromley in 2009-10.

John Healey: The impact of Revaluation on businesses is used to model an appropriate transitional relief scheme at each Revaluation. No formal consideration is made of the effect of the transitional relief scheme during each subsequent financial year.
	However, the Government are aware of the impact that large increases in business rate bills can have on all businesses when transitional relief comes to an end. This is why we are allowing businesses to defer over two years 60 per cent. of the increase in their business rates bill for 2009-10 caused by the ending of transitional relief. That is in addition to allowing the deferral of 60 per cent. of the increase caused by the annual inflation adjustment.

Building Regulations: Water Efficiency and Scald Prevention

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the provisions of part G of the building regulations relating to water efficiency and scald prevention to become operational.

Iain Wright: The Department laid before the House on 13 May this year a statutory instrument that makes amendments to part G of the building regulations. This includes changes to reduce the risk of scalding from hot water and introduces a minimum water efficiency standard for new homes. The provisions come into force on 1 October.

Unitary Local Government: Devon

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has for the introduction of unitary local government in Devon.

John Healey: We have asked the boundary committee to provide advice by 15 July 2009 on whether there could be proposals for a single-tier of local government, and if so on what basis, for Exeter and the whole or part of the surrounding Devon county area, with existing, or if necessary changed, boundaries of Plymouth City or Torbay borough.
	Under the statute, any decisions about implementing unitary proposals for Devon cannot be taken until six weeks after the 15 July deadline for receipt of the boundary committee's advice.

Community-based Enterprises

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on the role of community-based enterprises in the future jobs fund.

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the role of community-based enterprises in the future jobs fund.

John Healey: Social enterprises can tackle worklessness by creating sustainable jobs for people who find it difficult to enter the labour market and increasing enterprise levels among women, under-represented groups and young people.
	On 13 May my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State chaired a seminar attended by the Prime Minister; the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; the Minister for the Cabinet Office and myself. Also attending were leading social entrepreneurs and social enterprise practitioners.
	We challenged the community and social enterprise sector to take up the opportunities and the challenge that the Future Jobs Fund offers. We want to see social enterprises creating as many jobs as they can through the Future Jobs Fund; perhaps up to 10 per cent. of the 150,000 envisaged through the fund.
	On 12 May the Secretary of State attended a Social Enterprise summit at Coin Street Community Builders along with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; and the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
	A summary of the discussion at the summit is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/210555/summit_report.pdf

Traveller Sites

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received from local authorities on the use of enforcement action at Travellers' sites.

Sadiq Khan: I have not received any recent representations from local authorities on the use of enforcement action at Travellers' sites.

Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department's consultation document on the right to enfranchise provisions of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, what plans her Department has to bring forward legislative proposals on leasehold and commonhold reform.

Iain Wright: The Department is currently completing the programme of leasehold reform put in place by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (the Act). This consists of taking forward the proposals contained in the current consultation on the right to enfranchise provisions published on 12 May, and the introduction of the provisions in the Act dealing with accounting for service charge monies.
	Commonhold is the policy responsibility of the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, who has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals for reform in this area at present.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role local strategic partnerships will have in  (a) setting levels of new community infrastructure levy and  (b) deciding how monies raised from the levy will be used.

Iain Wright: The Government will consult in the summer on its proposals for the procedures for setting the level of CIL through a charging schedule and applying CIL revenue to infrastructure. These will make proposals about how local authorities should engage and work with their strategic partners. Local strategic partnerships should already be involved in the infrastructure planning that will provide a basis for CIL charge setting.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answers to the hon. Member for Meriden of 27 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1101-2W and 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 629W, on the community infrastructure levy, who will appoint the independent examiner responsible for reviewing community infrastructure levy charges; and whether the examiners' office will be classified as a public body.

Iain Wright: The charging authority will appoint the independent examiner to review its draft community infrastructure levy (CIL) charging schedule. The status of the examiner is set out in section 212 of the Planning Act 2008. The Government's August 2008 policy statement on CIL says (paragraph 3.43):
	"It will be important that the independent person testing the draft charging schedule is seen to be independent and has the confidence of those participating in debate on its contents. The Government's lead option is that the Planning Inspectorate should lead the examination of charging schedules with the assistance where necessary of expert assessors from, for example, the Valuation Office Agency."

Community Infrastructure Levy

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answers to the hon. Member for Meriden of 27 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1101-2W and 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 629W, on the community infrastructure levy, whether the rate of the levy will be capped.

Iain Wright: Charging authorities will be responsible for setting the proposed rate of community infrastructure levy for their area subject to independent testing. Sections 205 to 225 of the Planning Act 2008 set out this framework.

Council Housing: Brighton and Hove

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) she,  (b) other Ministers and  (c) officials in her Department have had any recent meetings with HM Treasury representatives at which the proposed funding structure for Brighton and Hove City Council's local delivery vehicle has been discussed.

Iain Wright: No such meetings have taken place.

Council Housing: Brighton and Hove

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were in temporary accommodation in Brighton and Hove in each of the last three years.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Information on the number of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	The number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by Brighton and Hove, as at the end of December for each of the last three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by Brighton and Hove, as at 31 December 2006-08 
			   Number 
			 2006 622 
			 2007 487 
			 2008 388

Council Housing: Brighton and Hove

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations have been received by her Department from  (a) people and  (b) social housing tenants in Brighton and Hove on (i) a further stock transfer ballot and (ii) a transfer of housing stock to registered social landlords; and how many such representations were in favour of a stock transfer.

Iain Wright: We have not received any correspondence regarding proposals to transfer Brighton and Hove city council's housing stock since the ballot the council held in February 2007.

Council Housing: Brighton and Hove

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to Brighton and Hove City Council on  (a) private finance options for funding its local delivery vehicle and  (b) its budgeting for prudential borrowing.

Iain Wright: We have not issued any guidance, but have written to the council about their proposals. We are awaiting a response.

Council Housing: Brighton and Hove

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to announce her decision on Brighton and Hove City Council's proposed local delivery vehicle.

Iain Wright: We have written to the council subsequent to its formal application for consent to lease stock to its proposed local delivery vehicle and are awaiting a response.

Derelict Land

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the monetary value of land banks held by registered social landlords was in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many registered social landlords registered new land banks in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many registered social landlords operate land banks; and what guidance her Department issues on how such assets should be classified in the landlord's accounts.

Iain Wright: The Tenant Services Authority (TSA), the independent regulator of the registered social landlord (RSL) sector, does not monitor all RSL land banks on a comprehensive basis. The TSA does not register land banks held by RSLs. However, they do collect information on such holdings of undeveloped land for the larger developing RSLs.
	The TSA has been monitoring this type of activity since January 2009.
	Their latest figures, from April 2009, show that 100 associations have land yet to be developed with an overall value of £1.2 billion.
	Lank banks are, in accounting terms, acquisitions of fixed assets in anticipation of future development plans and are therefore covered by the normal accounting requirements for fixed assets. Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 15, Tangible Fixed Assets, is issued by the Accounting Standards Board and this will cover the accounting treatment of land banking by RSLs.

Empty Property

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 29 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1365W, on empty property, if she will place in the Library a copy of each handout and presentation delivered at the Empty Homes seminar.

Iain Wright: The presentations at the Empty Homes seminar held on 23 April were all given by speakers from external stakeholders, who are responsible for their own presentations and handouts.

Green Belt: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to protect  (a) greenbelt and  (b) open green spaces in (i) Greater Manchester, (ii) Tameside Metropolitan Borough area and (iii) Stockport Metropolitan Borough area.

Iain Wright: Policy RD4 of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West (RSS), published by my Department, states that there is no need for any exceptional substantial strategic change to the green belt and its boundaries in Greater Manchester before 2011. Strategic studies may be undertaken to inform future reviews of the RSS. However, the presumption will continue to be against substantial change after that date. Policy EM3 of the RSS also promotes the conservation and enhancement of open green spaces.
	At the local level, the existing unitary development plans adopted by Stockport and Tameside Councils contain policies which seek to protect the green belt and open spaces.
	It is for local councils to consider whether there is any need for detailed local boundary changes to the green belt for exceptional purposes through the preparation of their local development framework (LDF). However, any such changes would need to be justified against national planning policy as set out in planning policy guidance note 2, which seeks to preserve green belts, and would be examined by an independent inspector as part of the development plan process.
	In accordance with national policy in planning policy guidance note 17, local councils should also plan for adequate provision of open space through their LDF.

Green Belt: South East

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects on the environment of the proposals in the South East Plan on green belt protection.

Iain Wright: The South East Plan (Policy SP5) states that the existing broad extent of green belts in the region is appropriate and will be retained and supported. The opportunity should be taken to improve their land-use management and access as part of the initiatives to improve the rural urban fringe.
	The plan also calls for selective reviews of a small portion of the green belt where this may be the most sustainable location for the region's development needs. However, the plan makes it clear that where any green belt land is lost, consideration should be given to carrying out a further review to determine whether additional land should be designated as green belt, thus maintaining its overall extent.
	A full sustainability appraisal was undertaken of the proposals in the final version of the South East Plan. All south-east MPs and MEPs were sent a copy of the sustainability appraisal report. This is available in the Libraries of both Houses and may be viewed on the website of the Government Office for the South East at:
	www.gos.gov.uk/gose

Homelessness

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many statutorily homeless households were housed by  (a) registered social landlords and  (b) local authorities in each region in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty are reported by registered social landlords through the Continuous Recording of Lettings (CORE) system, which covers the period 1 April to 31 March. The number of lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty reported by registered social landlords for each region in the last five years is shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of lettings reported by RSL landlords made to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty (by region) 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 1,700 1,850 2,120 2,290 2,660 
			 North West 5,030 5,440 6,220 6,460 6,730 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,510 2,500 2,950 3,160 3,640 
			 East Midlands 2,640 2,240 2,640 2,720 2,750 
			 West Midlands 5,740 4,580 4,130 4,230 4,660 
			 East of England 3,930 3,990 4,220 5,060 4,530 
			 London 6,900 6,730 5,880 6,920 6,910 
			 South East 6,000 5,730 5,630 5,910 5,600 
			 South West 4,810 4,470 4,840 4,750 4,860 
			   
			 England 39,260 37,520 38,640 41,500 42,320 
			  Notes: 1. Figures reported by RSL landlords should show only those lettings made to applicants who were owed a main homelessness duty (under Section 193 of the Housing Act 1996). However it is possible that a number of applicants who were found to be homeless, but were not owed a main duty have also been included, so these figures may be over-reported. 2. RSLs with less than 250 units are not required to complete CORE returns. 3. The figures include general needs and supported housing lets.  Source: Continuous Recording of Lettings (CORE) 
		
	
	Lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty are reported annually by local authorities via the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), covering the period 1 April to 31 March. The number of lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty reported by local authorities
	for each region in the last five years is shown in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of lettings reported by LA landlords made to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty (by region) 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East 3,890 3,670 2,760 2,300 2,100 
			 North West 5,420 6,510 5,560 4,770 3,100 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8,900 7,680 5,220 4,480 5,250 
			 East Midlands 3,930 4,350 3,560 3,250 2,920 
			 West Midlands 7,310 6,560 5,230 4,640 4,400 
			 East of England 4,100 3,840 3,260 2,770 2,320 
			 London 11,720 11,130 9,310 7,820 7,080 
			 South East 3,700 3,580 3,230 2,700 2,710 
			 South West 3,810 3,030 2,910 2,250 1,420 
			   
			 England 52,770 50,350 41,040 34,970 31,300 
			  Notes: 1. LA reported figures relate to households accepted as owed the main homelessness duty (section 193(2) of the Housing Act 1996). 2. Figures include general needs and supported housing lets.  Source: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix

Housing: City of Westminster

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has provided for housing to  (a) Westminster City Council and  (b) City West Homes in each of the last five years; from what budgets such funding has been drawn; and for what purposes her Department disbursed.

Iain Wright: The following table sets out the Housing Revenue Account expenditure allowances and capital allocations that the Department has provided to Westminster city council in each of the last five years. All funds were allocated for the repairs, maintenance and upkeep of properties in Westminster.
	Westminster city council provides funding directly to its ALMO City West Homes via an annual management fee. The Department does not provide funding direct to City West Homes.
	
		
			  Westminster city council housing funding allocations 
			  £ 
			   Housing Revenue Account allowances   
			   Management  Maintenance  Major Repairs  Regional Housing LA Decent Homes  ALMO Capital  HRA subsidy payments  Private Sector Renewal (Capital Grant) 
			 2004-05 14,001,286 19,450,588 11,651,388 7,853,000 27,593,000 16,167,991 0 
			 2005-06 13,996,468 19,439,436 11,403,339 16,728,000 26,107,000 14,622,945 0 
			 2006-07 14,634,094 20,094,134 11,156,798 7,863,000 — 13,408,772 0 
			 2007-08 14,697,416 20,158,474 11,412,219 6,468,000 — 10,299,215 0 
			 2008-09 14,702,774 20,098,007 11,343,664 0 — 6,933,085 6,468,000 
			 
			 Total 72,032,038 99,240,639 56,967,408 38,912,000 53,700,000 61,432,008 6,468,000

Housing: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in updating the Housing Corporation's publication Insurance for All for providers of social housing in light of the recommendations of the Pitt report on flooding.

Iain Wright: Recommendation 30 of Sir Michael Pitt's report was that the Housing Corporation's publication 'Insurance for All' should be updated. This recommendation is being taken forward in line with the Government's response to the report, which was published on 17 December 2008—see page 67 of the following link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/floods07.htm
	The timetable for completing this work will be consistent with the TSA's wider responsibilities for monitoring the overall health of the housing association sector and for establishing the new regulatory framework for social housing during 2010.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what receipts her Department and its predecessors received from  (a) Social Homebuy,  (b) Right to Buy and  (c) Right to Acquire sales in each year since 1997; and what percentage of each annual receipt was used to provide more social lettings.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1118W. Prior to 1 April 2004, receipts arising from the disposal of dwellings under right to buy (RTB) were retained by the local authorities, although authorities with debt set aside 75 per cent. of that receipt to repay their housing debt.
	Social homebuy sales have only been made since February 2007. Receipts arising from right to acquire (RTA) sales and social homebuy sales by housing associations are retained by registered social landlords (RSLs) and are reinvested in the provision of affordable housing. Local authorities are allowed to retain all social homebuy sales receipts, provided these are used for the purposes set out in statutory instrument 2006/521.
	The following table shows for each financial year since 2004-05 the total housing receipts received by the Department. Data on RTB and local authority social homebuy receipts received by the Department are not collected separately, but most of these arise from RTB sales. The table also shows the amount of those receipts received by the Department which were then passed on to the Exchequer.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Receipts received by the Department  Receipts passed on to the Exchequer 
			 2004-05 1,694 1,639 
			 2005-06 1,065 990 
			 2006-07 839 735 
			 2007-08 694 588 
			 2008-09(1) 158.2 134.3 
			 (1) Figures for 2008-09 are estimates. 
		
	
	The following table shows the amount invested by central Government in housing capital projects. It also shows how much of that was expenditure through the Home and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme on new build and acquisitions on both social rent and low cost home ownership schemes.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Total Department's capital investment in housing  Total expenditure through the Affordable Housing Programme 
			 2004-05 4,690 1,609 
			 2005-06 5,020 1,554 
			 2006-07 5,208 1,921 
			 2007-08 5,532 2,029 
			 2008-09(1) 6,006 2,625 
			 (1) Figures for 2008-09 are estimates.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) new-build and  (b) existing private sector homes were purchased for social rent by (i) local authorities and (ii) registered social landlords in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The following table shows the number of homes purchased for social rent by registered social landlords or through private finance initiative in England, from 1997-98.
	
		
			   Registered social landlord acquisitions  Private finance initiative acquisitions  Total social rent acquisitions 
			 1997-98 11,770 0 11,770 
			 1998-99 10,950 10 10,960 
			 1999-2000 9,120 60 9,180 
			 2000-01 8,840 20 8,860 
			 2001-02 8,140 40 8,170 
			 2002-03 6,420 30 6,450 
			 2003-04 4,290 0 4,290 
			 2004-05 2,890 0 2,890 
			 2005-06 2,460 0 2,460 
			 2006-07 2,450 0 2,450 
			 2007-08 3,390 0 3,390 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) Investment Management System (IMS) and Private Finance Initiative figures from local authority returns. 
		
	
	CLG do not have complete figures on the number of acquisitions by local authorities or categorised according to whether they were new build homes or existing private sector homes.

Housing: Low Incomes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate the levels of supply and demand for social homes of three or more bedrooms.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government have commissioned a team from Heriot-Watt university, led by Professor Glen Bramley, to develop a model that is capable of estimating the number of households with an unmet need for social or affordable housing, or other housing related support. The contract was awarded in August 2008 and developing the model is expected to take around 12 months.
	The new research will expand the evidence base on housing need, going beyond the estimates used by Kate Barker in her 2004 Review of Housing Supply to allow greater disaggregation of housing need by household type and region, as well as taking more account of the behavioural relationships that underpin household formation and tenure choice decisions.
	In recognition of the need for more family sized homes, for the 2008-11 Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) we set the Homes and Communities Agency, a new target to increase the national percentage of larger homes of three bedrooms or more provided through the AHP from 25 per cent. to 30 per cent. in 2008-09, rising to 33 per cent. in 2010-11.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 8 May 2009,  Official Report, column 450W, on housing: low incomes, how many completed new build homes each percentage figure in the table represents.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 June 2009,  Official Report, column 198-200W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been built in  (a) Stockport and  (b) Greater Manchester in each year since 2001.

Iain Wright: The information in the following table has been supplied to the Department by local authorities and shows the number of affordable homes that have been built in  (a) Stockport,  (b) in the nine other authorities in Greater Manchester and (c) the combined total for Greater Manchester for each year since 2001.
	
		
			2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  (a) Stockport 50 124 46 40 18 50 55 65 
			   
			  (b) Bolton 217 272 116 90 198 103 115 180 
			  Bury 271 103 147 72 38 19 33 29 
			  Manchester 300 403 362 225 358 378 288 259 
			  Oldham 92 168 16 57 32 112 57 65 
			  Rochdale 59 158 25 62 23 71 12 49 
			  Salford 0 67 95 155 60 38 24 276 
			  Tameside 148 87 80 29 0 44 49 54 
			  Trafford 327 38 120 42 37 100 100 85 
			  Wigan 48 55 17 14 5 0 2 20 
			   
			 (c) Greater Manchester 1,512 1,475 1,024 786 769 915 735 1,082

Housing: Low Incomes

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to enable local authorities with retained housing stock to increase the supply of social housing: and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: We already expect and encourage local authorities to use their planning powers to help increase the supply of social housing. We announced in the Budget £100 million of new funding for local authorities to deliver new social housing at higher energy efficiency standards. In addition we have just concluded consultation on allowing local authorities to apply for any new council houses they build (or acquire or otherwise bring back into use) to be held outside the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Subsidy system. This will enable them to keep the rental income and sale receipts of any such properties, which, to date, has proved a disincentive to build.
	While authorities without stock will be free to apply for both grant and exclusions from the HRA Subsidy system, we expect that it will be authorities with retained stock that will have the capacity to take advantage of the opportunity.

Housing: Low Incomes

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) local authorities and  (b) housing associations have exchange schemes for social housing tenants who wish to move to a different area.

Iain Wright: The Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix collects information from local authorities on dwellings let through mutual exchanges. However, there is no direct question that identifies how many local authorities have exchange schemes for their tenants. As this information is not routinely gathered, to assemble these data would represent a disproportionate cost to the Department.
	The Continuous REcording System (CORE) collects information from local authorities and registered social landlords but mutual exchange schemes fall outside the scope of this. As this information is not routinely gathered, to assemble these data would represent a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Housing: Rural Areas

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of housing survey coverage in rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: In determining levels of housing provision, local planning authorities and regional planning bodies should take into account evidence of need and demand, set out in Strategic Housing Market Assessments, and other relevant market information.
	The framework set out within our Strategic Housing Market Assessments Practice Guidance provides advice on the use of surveys where they are feasible and appropriate. Our guidance specifies that in rural areas the costs of face-to-face interviews can be expensive and a postal survey may be a more viable option.
	The review by the hon. Member for St. Austell, "Living Working Countryside", published in July 2008 highlighted the problems of local authorities' information on housing need, particularly in rural areas. We are now seeking views on proposals to reward rural local authorities which are working with parish councils to:
	Provide housing needs surveys of parishes; and
	Using that information to identify sites for affordable housing to address the needs identified in the surveys.
	The proposal is contained in the consultation paper "Housing and planning delivery grant (HPDG): Consultation on allocation mechanism for Year 2 and Year 3" published on 12 May.

Housing: Rural Areas

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in rural areas were living in temporary accommodation at the latest date for which information is available.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Information on the number of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	Of the total 67,480 households in temporary accommodation on the 31 December 2008, 3,840 of these households were housed by local authorities defined as predominantly rural (with at least half of their population living in rural areas).

Housing: Rural Areas

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new affordable rural homes in smaller settlements have been completed since 2008.

Iain Wright: Of the total number of affordable housing completions recorded on the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) investment management system (IMS) for 2008-09, 2,420 were in small settlements in England.
	The number of local authority affordable housing completions in small settlements is not collected centrally.
	Small settlements are defined as settlements with a population of 3,000 or less.

Housing: Standards

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord properties in each region do not meet the Decent Homes standard because of overcrowding.

Iain Wright: The Decent Homes Standard itself does not specifically cover overcrowding. 'Crowding and space' is one of the 29 hazards within the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). To be decent, a home must be free of all Category 1 hazards under the HHSRS and also meet the other three criteria (adequate thermal comfort, repair and modern facilities and services). Under the HHSRS, crowding would constitute a Category 1 hazard if the property and its occupancy constituted an unacceptable risk of serious harm. A home is considered to be non decent through a HHSRS failure.
	The 2006 English House Condition Survey, published in 2008, estimated through modelling that there might be fewer than 50,000 homes in this category for all tenures (private and social) across the country.

Local Development Frameworks

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department plans to provide funding for local planning authorities to undertake changes to local development frameworks contained in the proposed Planning Policy Statement 4.

Iain Wright: As noted in the consultation impact assessment accompanying the new streamlined Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS4), we do not envisage that our proposals will impose additional burdens or extra costs on local planning authorities. We believe that there is potential for real cost savings in the medium to long-term by presenting policies for economic development in an integrated way, particularly in terms of speedier and better quality plan making, and decision taking in respect to planning applications.
	In particular, the revisions proposed to planning for town centres policy are amendments to the existing policy as set out in PPS6 "Planning for Town Centres", and are designed to improve the effectiveness of our 'town centres first' policy rather than making any fundamental change. Similarly, the approach to planning for economic development is intended to build upon the existing policy approach in PPG4 "Industrial, Commercial Development and Small Firms" by reinforcing messages and emphasising certain aspects of the approach.

Local Government: Camden

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements her Department has placed upon the London Borough of Camden to ensure it reduces its carbon emissions arising from  (a) housing stock,  (b) business premises,  (c) schools and  (d) public buildings; and what steps her Department takes to monitor compliance with such requirements.

Iain Wright: Government planning policy, contained in PPS1 Planning and Climate Change, requires planning authorities to set out percentage targets for low carbon/renewable energy sources in new developments. Performance against target is monitored through annual monitoring reports.
	Part L of the building regulations sets minimum energy efficiency standards for new buildings and when certain categories of building work are carried out on existing buildings e.g. extensions, conversions, renovations, replacement windows and boilers. The Government have announced that they intend to seek progressive improvements in part L standards and has set targets for all new homes to be net zero carbon from 2016 and has similar stretching ambitions for new non-domestic buildings.
	In addition, all new affordable housing receiving social housing grant through the Homes and Communities Agency must be built to at least Code for Sustainable Homes level 3 standard.
	As part of the new Government performance framework, Camden is required to report against National Indicator 185—CO2 reduction from local authority operations and National Indicator 186—per capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the local authority area. In addition, Camden has selected National Indicator 186 as a stretch target and action under this indicator is critical to achieving the Government's climate change objectives. Performance will be monitored by the Audit Commission under the comprehensive area assessment (CAA) which will look at how well Camden's services are working together to improve the quality of life for local people. CAA will be a catalyst for better local outcomes, more responsive services and better value for money and an independent evidence base for central Government on progress against national priorities.

Local Government: Influenza

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment her Department has made of the levels of preparedness of local authorities for an influenza pandemic.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities have to decide how to meet their legal obligations to plan for an influenza pandemic under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Local authority compliance with the Civil Contingencies Act duties is assessed by the Audit Commission as part of their Comprehensive Performance Assessment process.
	As members of Local Resilience Forums (LRFs), local authorities have played a full part in the development of local multi agency pandemic influenza plans. Over the last year, these plans have undergone validation by local responders and Government offices and at least one LRF plan per region has been tested via a table top exercise. Lessons identified will be shared locally.
	Plans are available on local LRF websites and can be accessed through the UK Resilience pages of the Cabinet Office website:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/pandemicflu/plans/regional_plans.aspx

Planning Permission

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications for  (a) residential and  (b) commercial developments have been (i) granted and (ii) declined in (A) Leicester and (B) England in each of the last five years; and what the most common reason for the rejection of such applications for (1) residential and (2) commercial developments was in that period.

Iain Wright: The number of planning applications for residential and commercial developments that have been (i) granted and (ii) declined in Leicester and England in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Planning decisions on residential and commercial developments in Leicester and England 
			   Leicester( 1)  England( 2) 
			   Dwellings  Commercial( 3)  Dwellings  Commercial( 3) 
			  Period  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused 
			 2003-04 125 20 128 17 49,500 24,700 23,400 3,200 
			 2004-05 132 49 176 28 56,600 29,600 22,600 3,600 
			 2005-06 188 57 200 32 51,300 29,300 21,900 3,500 
			 2006-07 150 90 180 41 49,500 27,900 21,000 3,600 
			 2007-08 178 56 206 40 50,500 29,100 21,900 3,800 
			 2008-09(4,5) 118 25 142 13 33,400 18,900 15,000 2,500 
			 (1) Figures as reported by Leicester. (2) England figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and include estimates for non-responding authorities. (3) Includes offices, research and development, light industry, general industry, storage, warehousing, retail distribution and servicing. (4) April 2008 to December 2008. Information for January to March 2009 to be published on 26 June 2009. (5) Provisional.  Source: Communities and Local Government General Development Control Returns 
		
	
	Reasons for rejections for such applications are not collated centrally.

Property Development

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has given on  (a) the composition of and  (b) the role of commercial developers in housing market partnerships.

Iain Wright: Our guidance on completing Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments, published in support of Planning Policy Statement 3, sets out very clearly the importance of a partnership approach in identifying land for housing.
	It says that regional planning bodies and local planning authorities should work together, and with key stakeholders, to undertake assessments to ensure a joined-up and robust approach. Assessments should preferably be carried out at the sub-regional level, for separate housing market areas, by housing market partnerships (where established). Housing market partnerships should include key stakeholders such as house builders, social landlords, local property agents, local communities and other agencies, such as English Partnerships (now the Homes and Communities Agency) where they have a recognised interest in an area.
	Key stakeholders should be involved at the outset of the assessment, so that they can help shape the approach to be taken. In particular, house builders and local property agents should provide expertise and knowledge to help the partnership to take a view on the deliverability and developability of sites, and how market conditions may affect economic viability. Key stakeholders should also be involved in updating the assessment from time to time.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding for infrastructure was allocated by her Department to each growth area in England in each year since 2005-06.

Iain Wright: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Ashford 3.6 4.9 15.1 10.9 
			  
			 London 25.4 38.9 79.4 63 
			 Stansted 
			 Cambridge 
			 Peterborough 
			  
			 Milton Keynes 28.6 106.4 123.4 57 
			 South Midlands 
			  
			 Thames Gateway 16.2 41.7 60 22.4 
		
	
	Since 2005-06, the Department for Communities and Local Government has invested over £696 million for infrastructure to support housing growth in the Thames Gateway and the other growth areas of Ashford, Milton Keynes-South Midlands, and London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough. This comprises Thames Gateway funding, the Growth Areas Fund (the Growth Fund since 2008-09), and the Community Infrastructure Fund (a dual-key fund, managed by the Department for Transport in 06-08, Communities and Local Government in 2008, and transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency in December 2008). This funding is additional to mainstream departmental funding in areas such as health, education and national transport networks.

Rented Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 18 of her Department's response to the Rugg Review Consultation, what existing powers would be used to take over the management of the housing stock of a landlord removed from the register.

Iain Wright: The proposals in the Government's response to the widely welcomed Rugg Review of the private rented sector are at a high level and still subject to consultation. Powers already exist under part 4 of the Housing Act 2004 for local authorities to make management orders which enable them to take over the management of certain privately rented properties where they consider that the private landlords of those properties are failing in their management duty. If our proposals for a national register for landlords and linked systems of complaint and redress were to be implemented, one option by which enforcement could be carried out would be to make use of the current powers.

Rented Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) two bedroom,  (b) three bedroom and  (c) four or more bedroom (i) housing association properties and (ii) local authority properties have a single occupant.

Iain Wright: Estimates of the number of social sector properties with a single occupant with two, three and four or more bedrooms are provided in the following table. These estimates are based on data from the Survey of English Housing.
	Reliable separate estimates for housing association and local authority tenants are not available from the survey.
	
		
			  Number of bedrooms in social sector properties with single occupancy, England, 2007-08 
			  Thousands of households 
			   Number of bedrooms  
			  Tenure  1  2  3  4 or more  All 
			 All social renters 962 443 231 15 1,651 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government, Survey of English Housing

Repossession Orders: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions initiated by  (a) building societies and  (b) banks there were in (i) Tameside, (ii) Stockport and (iii) Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on this is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2262
	The CML data on repossessions are no longer freely available from their website. For detailed time series information members of the public can request to subscribe to CML to obtain access to a restricted website.
	The Financial Services Authority data are available on their website at
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/
	The CML and FSA release slightly different figures. The CML data are for repossessions on first-charge mortgages only, including Buy-to-Let mortgages, as issued by their members. CML estimate that their lenders currently account for 98 per cent. of mortgage lending. The FSA data, as well as covering possessions on first-charge mortgages, cover possessions on second-charge loans by Regulated firms (many second charge lenders are not regulated) but do not cover possessions as comprehensively on Buy-to-Let mortgages, as some of these are from unregulated firms. The overall effect of the differences is that the FSA's statistics on possessions are slightly higher.

Right to Buy Scheme

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was received by registered social landlords from  (a) right to buy and  (b) right to acquire sales in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Information on receipts from Right to Buy by registered social landlords (RSLs) are not collected centrally. Receipts from Right to Acquire sales are credited to the Disposal Proceeds Fund retained by RSLs and are reinvested in the provision of social rented housing.
	Right to Acquire receipts are not identified separately within the Disposal Proceeds Fund which may also contain receipts from Social HomeBuy sales.
	Annual account financial return received from the largest RSLs (with greater than 1,000 units) show the closing balances held in the DPF for each year to be as follows:
	
		
			  At March:  £ million 
			 2005 90 
			 2006 110 
			 2007 136 
			 2008 189 
			  Source: Tenants Services Authority

Right to Buy Scheme

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) right to buy and  (b) right to acquire sales were made by each registered social landlord in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: A table will be placed in the Library of the House which shows the number of Right to Buy and Right to Acquire sales by registered social landlord for each of the last five years.
	 Source
	Homes and Communities Agency Investment Management System (IMS), and Regulatory and Statistical Returns (RSR) to the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) from Registered Social Landlords.

Social Rented Housing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 729-30W, on social rented housing, how much of the £100 million made available in 2008-09 was spent; and how much of the £300 million advanced to 2009-10 has been spent to date;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 729-30W, on social rented housing, how many of the additional social rented homes are under construction.

Iain Wright: The Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme provisional spend for 2008-09 was £2.6 billion including the £100 million transferred into this budget from 2010-11 resources. The Homes and Communities Agency accounts will be audited and a copy will be laid before Parliament later this year.
	The funds brought forward as part of the 2 September 2008 announcement and pre-Budget report 24 November from 2010-11 into earlier years for social rented homes from within the Affordable Housing Programme budget remains part of that overall programme and delivery of outputs with these brought forward funds is not monitored separately. Targets set for the Homes and Communities Agency will reflect the funds being invested.

Social Rented Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social tenants are housed by housing associations; and how many such tenants have a right to acquire their property.

Iain Wright: There are 1.976 million housing association tenants in England.
	Over 210,000 housing association tenants (10 per cent.) may qualify for the right to acquire because their homes have been built with public funds since 1 April 1997. Some of the tenants of the 940,000 homes which have transferred from local authorities to housing associations since 1 April 1997 may also qualify for the right to acquire scheme.
	Approximately 18,000 (0.9 per cent.) secure tenants of non-charitable housing associations qualify for the right to buy scheme. In addition, 1.185 million housing association tenants (60 per cent.) who have transferred with their homes from local authorities since 1988 have a preserved right to buy.

Social Rented Housing: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many units of social housing in each London borough are owned by  (a) local authorities and  (b) housing associations; and how many there were of each in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Information on the number of social housing units in each London borough as at 1 April 2008 (local authority units) and 31 March 2008 (registered social landlord units and bed spaces) is shown in the following table. Local authority figures are reported for all self-contained units owned within the local authority area, regardless of which local authority has ownership.
	
		
			  Number of social housing units owned, England ,  2008 
			Local authority (as at 1 April)  Registered social landlord (as at 31 March) 
			  London  435,542 350,596 
			 
			   Inner London 259,459 201,079 
			  Camden 23,707 10,715 
			  City of London 429 549 
			  Hackney 23,536 21,590 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham 13,213 12,537 
			  Haringey 16,162 10,695 
			  Islington 26,485 14,933 
			  Kensington and Chelsea 6,996 13,365 
			  Lambeth 27,387 21,174 
			  Lewisham 19,907 16,437 
			  Newham 17,757 11,908 
			  Southwark 41,287 14,617 
			  Tower Hamlets 13,138 26,682 
			  Wandsworth 17,145 10,056 
			  Westminster 12,310 15,821 
			 
			   Outer London 176,083 149,517 
			  Barking and Dagenham 19,461 3,440 
			  Barnet 11,051 6,904 
			  Bexley 13 12,953 
			  Brent 9,792 15,338 
			  Bromley 86 18,513 
			  Croydon 14,043 10,203 
			  Ealing 13,364 9,621 
			  Enfield 11,578 6,756 
			  Greenwich 24,449 10,724 
			  Harrow 5,091 3,640 
			  Havering 10,421 2,509 
			  Hillingdon 10,661 5,866 
			  Hounslow 12,942 6,645 
			  Kingston upon Thames 4,852 2,298 
			  Merton 6,364 4,821 
			  Redbridge 4,768 4,625 
			  Richmond upon Thames 50 9,790 
			  Sutton 6,689 4,179 
			  Waltham Forest 10,408 10,692 
			  Note : Local authority units include those owned within the local authority area, regardless of which local authority owns the units.  Sources :  Housing strategy statistical appendix (for local authority stock) (see Live Table 116) Tenant Services Authority's regulatory and statistical return (for RSL stock). 
		
	
	The following table shows the change in the number of local authority stock in each London borough over the last 10 years :
	
		
			  Change in local authority stock , as at 1 April  each year; England 
			1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  London  -20,330 -22,280 -20,991 -14,040 -16,270 -16,870 -14,517 -11,557 -5,880 -15,339 
			 
			   Inner London -13,500 -16,131 -9,009 -10,522 -9,303 -11,077 -10,439 -9,194 -6,551 -11,302 
			  Camden -534 -595 -286 -790 -317 -198 -1,571 76 480 190 
			  City of London -25 -27 -13 -12 4 -18 -12 1 -1 0 
			  Hackney -3,842 -3,183 ¦637 -661 -1,776 -1,145 -577 -709 -149 -54 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham -909 127 -761 -230 -270 -243 -363 -98 -51 -35 
			  Haringey -202 -96 453 -865 4 -1,022 -82 -233 207 •802 
			  Islington -729 -2,833 -1,193 -815 -573 -1,024 -1,400 -567 402 -561 
			  Kensington and Chelsea -95 -61 -199 -9 -56 56 0 0 -162 0 
			  Lambeth -1,179 -3,969 -1,044 -820 -1,142 -1,915 -1,567 -201 -2,401 401 
			  Lewis ham -698 -782 -688 -1,485 -1,368 -1,034 -1,026 -280 -249 -6,129 
			  Newham -537 472 151 -1,328 -737 -1,179 -677 -814 450 -201 
			  Southwark -742 -803 -1,028 -1,823 -1,165 -1,541 -1,461 -1,610 402 -586 
			  Tower Hamlets -3,388 -2,364 -1,774 -1,228 -1,332 -1,014 -1,189 4,650 -1,952 -2,601 
			  Wandsworth 481 -542 -514 -127 -273 461 -297 40 -19 -134 
			  Westminster -139 -531 -570 -329 -286 -339 -217 -69 40 12 
			 
			   Outer London -6,830 -6,149 -11,982 -3,518 -6,967 -5,793 4,078 -2,363 671 4,037 
			  Barking and Dagenham -791 -919 -906 412 -788 -725 -520 491 -307 -198 
			  Barnet -449 -306 -221 -256 -225 -524 -141 41 -32 -23 
			  Bexley 0 -1 0 0 -1 -15 15 0 -2 0 
			  Brent -433 -758 -117 -392 -203 -257 -229 -95 1,510 -1,343 
			  Bromley -17 -12 11 9 -5 -97 0 0 0 86 
			  Croydon -144 -129 -284 -242 -268 -313 -175 -57 44 -93 
			  Ealing -219 433 -92 19 -131 -756 -216 -135 460 -556 
			  Enfield -1,197 -313 149 -589 -333 -245 -523 -78 -57 -10 
			  Greenwich -1,822 -671 -830 -389 -540 -766 -587 -310 -304 -254 
			  Harrow -104 -140 -292 -72 -581 -106 -57 -18 -12 0 
			  Havering -256 -333 -292 -288 -155 405 -21 -224 -71 -546 
			  Hillingdon -240 -264 -81 -103 -138 -185 -200 -176 -165 -148 
			  Hounslow -95 -255 -774 -199 -312 -701 -506 474 277 -234 
			  Kingston upon Thames -82 -65 -64 -30 -72 •64 -54 -55 6 -17 
			  Merton -173 -318 -212 140 -391 -177 46 -58 -206 42 
			  Redbridge -217 -143 -723 -189 -120 -120 -314 109 -204 -22 
			  Richmond upon Thames -86 -206 -6,521 30 0 -30 87 -10 6 -33 
			  Sutton -129 -203 -349 -373 -345 -359 -178 -182 -175 -643 
			  Waltham Forest -376 ¦680 -384 -182 -2,359 52 -505 -68 -9 39 
			  Note :  Local authority units include those owned within the local authority area, regardless of which local authority owns the units.  Source:  Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix. 
		
	
	The following table shows the change in the number of RSL stock in each London borough over the last 10 years:
	
		
			  Change in  registered social landlord stock, as at 31 March  each year, England 
			Number of self-contained units  Number of self-contained units/bed spaces 
			1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  London  19,998 11,554 21,080 9,295 3,444 4,100 8,559 7,560 14,701 
			
			   Inner London 10,989 8.946 5,012 3,580 2.392 2.236 6.789 5,403 11.527 
			  Camden -8 374 232 -60 68 -62 209 -486 -103 
			  City of London 0 0 0 14 40 -27 247 0 6 
			  Hackney 3.898 2.628 378 1,000 -6 -70 -194 191 217 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham 659 206 227 550 91 -110 -36 224 242 
			  Haringey 124 356 122 179 316 -69 55 24 212 
			  Islington -1 1,441 300 280 379 893 447 12 899 
			  Kensington and Chelsea -163 128 95 -50 163 -103 -30 198 43 
			  Lambeth 947 3,178 101 265 -150 262 531 1.442 954 
			  Lewis ham 109 145 201 10 450 75 191 257 5,520 
			  Newham 617 351 240 13 201 357 529 309 231 
			  Southwark 14 109 697 498 225 728 30 355 260 
			  Tower Hamlets 4,486 -134 1,918 565 757 389 4,663 2.190 2,779 
			  Wandsworth 74 49 7 241 -83 37 -307 -93 166 
			  Westminster 233 115 494 75 -59 -64 454 780 101 
			
			   Outer London 9,009 2,608 16,068 5.715 1.052 1,864 1,770 2,157 3.174 
			  Barking and Dagenham 542 273 203 189 43 221 135 178 183 
			  Barnet 229 274 155 707 66 -309 54 182 100 
			  Bexley 4,064 -105 2.211 33 -95 163 -204 -188 121 
			  Brent 1,828 301 522 49 530 -32 5 279 756 
			  Bromley -475 234 -9 213 -136 115 15 201 164 
			  Croydon 587 165 156 310 116 100 183 116 335 
			  Ealing 377 200 191 56 370 171 51 324 ¦At 
			  Enfield 1,439 106 485 339 -207 314 122 -51 188 
			  Greenwich 1.670 171 2.313 96 273 -10 298 249 67 
			  Harrow 35 -24 112 701 -6 98 97 110 21 
			  Havering 59 43 58 -9 46 83 64 207 182 
			  Hillingdon 232 240 290 284 73 310 231 238 319 
			  Hounslow 324 107 559 102 211 83 325 272 66 
			  Kingston upon Thames 109 9 119 54 48 102 50 -9 -26 
			  Merton 1,187 98 -140 49 18 77 75 141 96 
			  Redbridge 136 196 610 147 -44 196 98 32 28 
			  Richmond upon Thames 10 123 6.330 -79 -43 -12 78 -26 77 
			  Sutton 108 90 218 155 -186 284 ^3 41 491 
			  Waltham Forest 583 235 1,212 2.319 -25 -90 124 -127 47 
			  Notes:  Figures from 1998 to 2001 are based on counts of self-contained units only. From 2002 the stock figures include self-contained units and bed spaces. There is no change given between 2001-02 as these data are not comparable. From 2005 some general needs stock was reclassified as supported stock. This may have resulted in some of the older person stock being counted as bed spaces rather than self-contained units.  Source:  Tenant Services Authority's regulatory and statistical return (for RSL stock). 
		
	
	Figures for RSLs include general needs, supported housing and housing for older people accommodation. Figures from 1998 to 2001 are based on counts of self-contained units only. From 2002 onwards the figures in this table are not comparable to estimates for years previous to 2002 in the table because the stock figures from 2002 onwards include social rent bed spaces as well as social rent self-contained units; estimates for years previous to 2002 are based on self-contained units only.

Social Rented Housing: Rents

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average weekly rent paid by a household living in a  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord dwelling was in each of the last three years.

Iain Wright: Information is collected on what local authorities and registered social landlords charge, rather than what was paid by a household.
	Information on the average weekly rent charged by local authorities is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average weekly rent charged by local authorities 
			   England (£) 
			 2006-07 57.94 
			 2007-08 61.63 
			 2008-09 64.21 
			  Notes: 1. Rents data are based on the financial year. Stock figures used to estimate the average are taken at 1 April of the following financial year. Average rent data for 2008-09 are provisional. 2. Average rents data are based on a standardised 52 week collection.  Source: Housing Revenue Account (HRA) second subsidy claim form. 
		
	
	Information is collected on the average weekly rent charged by local authorities via the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) second subsidy claim form. This information is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Live Table 702:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table-702.xls
	Information on the average weekly rent charged by registered social landlords for the last three years it is available is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average weekly rent charged by registered social landlords 
			  As at 31 March  England (£) 
			 2006 64.32 
			 2007 66.58 
			  Source: Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR) based on general needs stock only. 
		
	
	Information is collected on the average weekly rent charged by registered social landlords via the annual Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR). This information is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Live Table 704:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/141632.xls

Social Rented Housing: Rents

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage change in the level of social housing rents has been in each local authority in 2009.

Iain Wright: The data will not be available until after local authorities submit their second advance subsidy claim form. This form is not due to be submitted until 31 August.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1155W, on planning permission: caravan sites, 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's ruling made in respect of each of the 24 Traveller appeals which she upheld;
	(2)  what the planning appeal reference number for each of the 318 Traveller appeals upheld by the Planning Inspectorate was.

Iain Wright: Copies of 16 decision letters, with the decisions made by the Secretary of State on 22 out of 23 planning appeals indicated on the table, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1155W, have been placed in the Library. Three of the letters supplied relate to linked cases involving the Secretary of State decisions.
	One appeal decision made in April 2002 has not been recoverable in the time available. One appeal decision previously listed as having been decided by the Secretary of State has subsequently been discovered as having in fact been determined by the Planning Inspectorate.
	A table has also been placed in the Library containing a list of the planning appeal reference numbers together with local planning authority, date of decision, site address (where known) and description of development for appeals upheld by the Planning Inspectorate as indicated on the table pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1155W. As mentioned above an additional appeal, counted previously as being determined by the Secretary of State, has been added to the inspectorate's list which now totals 319.